Columbia  iinitimttp 


LIBRARY 


THE 


CONFEDERATION 


KILKENNY. 

BY  THE  REV.  C.  P.  MEEHAN. 


"Hapless  nation— hapless  land — 
Heap  of  uncementing  Band ! 
Crumbled  by  a  foreign  weight, 
And,  by  worse,  domestic  hate." 

De.  Dbekitak. 


NEW  YORK  : 
FELIX    E.    O'BOURKE, 

9  BARCLAY  STREET. 
1873. 


5 


1523 


TO 

CHARLES  GAVAN  DUFFY, 

EDITOR   OF   THE   NATION, 

THE    MAN  WEO   HAS    ACHIEVED    SO    MUCH    FOR   THE 
LITERATURE  OF   HIS  NATIVE  LAND, 

THIS  VOLUME, 

UVDSBTAEEK    AT    HIS    DESIXI, 
19   INSCRIBED, 

BT  ONE  WHO  IS  PROUD  OP  HIS  PERSONAL  FRIENDSHIP 

AND  A  SINCERE  ADMIRER  OF  HIS  PUBUC 

AlfD   PRIVATE   WOBTH. 


8S.  Miehad  and  Joh»% 


TO  THE  READERS  OF  THE  LIBRARY  OF  IRELAM). 


It  was  my  most  anxious  desire  that  this  Volume  might 
come  from  the  Press  without  a  single  line  of  Preface  or 
Introduction.  I  feel,  however,  constrained  to  relinquish 
my  original  intention ;  but  the  observations  I  have  to 
make  shall  be  few,  and,  I  trust,  satisfactory. 

This  volume,  instead  of  preceding  should  have 
followed,  the  "Rising  of  the  North,"  commonly  called 
the  "  Great  Popish  Rebellion  ;"  but  as  the  writer  who 
is  to  treat  that  important  subject,  has  been  prevented  by 
urgent  public  duties,  from  completing  it,  I  exerted 
whatever  power  in  me  lay  to  have  the  Confederation 
ready  for  the  month  of  August. 

All  the  incidents  which  I  have  endeavoured  to  narrate 
had  their  origin  in  two  sources — one  remote,  the  other 
proximate  ;  the  former  is  to  be  found  in  the  "  History  of 
the  Confiscations  during  the  reign  of  James  I."  and  it  is 
presumed,  that  the  readers  of  the  '*  Library  of  Ireland" 
are  already  acquainted  with  that  unparalleled  system  of 
fraud  and  rapine  so  ably  depicted  by  Mr.  Mac  Nevin. 
The  latter  or  proximate  source  is  to  be  discovered  in 
the  history  of  1641 ;  for  out  of  the  events  of  that  year 
sprang  the  remarkable  Confederation,  whose  prelates  and 
military  leaders  shone  out  like  stars  in  one  of  the  darkest 
and  stormiest  periods  of  our  history.  It  is  not  my 
province  tc  vindicate  the  men  who  originated  that  ex- 
traordinary movement,  so  grossly  misrepresented  by 
Warner,  Temple,  Borlase  and  others;  that  duty  rests 
with  the  man  to  whom  this  Volume  Ijs  dedicated,  and  it 
would  be  difficult  to  find  one  more  able  or  willing  to 
rescue  the  transaction  of  that  period  from  the  calumnies 
in  which  interested  parties  have  laboured  to  involve  it. 
I,  therefore,  will  hasten  to  lay  before  the  reader  a 
brief  sketch  of  the  events  which  have  immediate  reference 
id  the  subject  matter  of  tl»»6  volume. 


Tlie  accession  of  Charles  I.  was  hailed  by  the  Catholics 
of  Ireland  as  the  dawning  of  hope  and  tranquillitj, 
after  the  terrific  persecutions  and  rapacity  of  his  prede- 
cessor. They  fondly  indulged  the  belief  that  the  rack 
and  the  thumb-screw  would  fall  into  disuse,  and  that 
their  religion  would  no  longer  be  a  pretext  for  sacrificing 
their  lives,  and  stripping  them  of  the  remnant  of  pro- 
perty which  a  crowned  and  disgusting  pedant  suffered 
them  to  retain.  With  a  fatal  confidence  in  Charles  I. 
they  imagined  that  he  would  cause  measures  to  be  enacted 
which  would  supersede  that  infamous  penal  code  which 
has  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  any  other  country. 
But  in  reality  they  hoped  against  hope.  Ussher,  whose 
character  for  erudition  none  may  gainsay,  was  a  rabid 
bigot,  and  the  representative  of  a  class  who  held  it  to 
be  "  a  grievous  sin  to  give  toleration  to  the  Catholics, 
or  to  "consent  that  they  should  freely  exercise  their 
religion." — Ussher,  as  well  as  the  other  bishops  who  made 
this  avowal,  spoke  the  sentiments  of  the  Puritans  in 
England  and  in  Ireland.  Yet,  with  this  declaration  in 
their  ears,  the  infatuated  Catholics  dreamed  that  the 
good-will  and  kind  intentions  of  the  monarch  would  come 
between  them  and  their  implacable  persecutors.  Pro- 
mises, it  is  true,  were  plenty,  but  they  produced  no 
beneficial  measures.  Long-sufferings  and  passive  obe- 
dience under  the  most  withering  oppression,  brought  no 
redress.  The  monarch  who  could  so  freely  promise 
concessions,  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  realizing  them. 
One  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  pounds  sterling, 
were  subscribed  by  the  Catholics  as  the  price  of  the 
concessions,  known  as  "  graces."  Such  an  enormous 
sum  from  a  people  so  grossly  robbed  by  James  I.  must 
have  well  nigh  ruined  their  resources.  Charles  took  it, 
and  with  that  perfidy  which  characterized  all  his  acts,. 
gave  himself  no  concern  to  alleviate  their  sufferings  oi 
ameliorate  their  condition. 

In   1633  he   commissioned    Strafford  to  proceed  tc 


Ireland  as  Lor  J  Deputy ;  not  indeed  with  tlie  design  ot  re- 
moving abuses,  but  ofperpetuating  them.  This  man,  wliose 
name  k,  even  now,  a  sound  of  dread  and  terror,  enter- 
tained an  abhorence  of  the  puritanic  spirit  so  boldly 
manifested  by  the  Primate  Ussher,  and  Bedel,  Bishop  oi 
Kilmore.  It  was  his  ambition  to  extinguish  it,  but  his 
cherished  project  was  to  carry  out  the  schemes  of 
James  I.,  and  a  more  terrible  agent  could  not  have  been 
found  for  the  purpose.  An  exhaustless  store  for  the 
lovers  of  the  marvellous  and  cruel,  is  to  be  found  in 
the  history  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition ;  but,  disgusting 
and  terrific  as  its  acts  may  have  been,  they  furnish  no 
record  of  blacker  guilt  or  more  flagrant  profligacy 
tlian  what  may  be  collected  from  tl,.9  history  of 
Straflbrd's  administration  in  Ireland.  The  promises 
of  the  King,  so  often  given  to  the  Catholics,  and  so 
warmly  welcomed  by  them,  were  all  violated  on  his 
responsibility.  The  Commission  of  Defective  Titles  was 
only  another  name  for  systematic  plunder.  The  School 
of  Wards,  with  its  insidious  scheme  for  sapping  the 
faith  of  Catholics,  was  an  apt  instrument  in  the  hands 
of  this  unscrupulous  Deputy,  who  hated  the  Irish  as 
much  as  he  lusted  after  their  substance.  Nevertheless, 
grant  after  grant  was  generously  given,  amounting  in 
all  to  three  hundred  and  ten  thousand  pounds,  in  the 
hope  of  securing  themselves  against  persecution  on  the 
jcore  of  religion,  and  having  confirmed  to  them  the 
possession  of  their  estates.  But  all  in  vain ;  the  statutes 
known  as  those  of  "Uses"  and  "Wills"  were  passed  in 
the  Irish  parliament,  and  the  religion  of  all  Catholic 
minors  was  left  to  the  guidance  of  those  who  preached 
extirpation  of  Popery  as  Gospel. 

To  suppose  that  Strafford's  conduct  elicited  the  dis- 
pleasure of  Charles  I.  would  be  a  presumption  not 
warranted  by  history.  On  the  contrary,  the  king  who 
participated  in  his  guilt  could  not  but  applaud  it.  The 
Commission    of    Defective    Titles    contemplated    the 


viii 

conflscatioii  of  the  entire  of  Connaught— its  ob- 
ject  was  to  subvert  the  title  to  every  estate  in  the 
whole  province,  and  to  e^aabUsh  a  ne^r  plantation. 
Compliant  jurors  were  easily  found,  and  Avhere  they 
were  not,  the  Star  Chamber,  with  its  horrid  engines, 
was  speedily  resorted  to.  Tlie  Lord  Deputy  Chichester, 
in  1613,  claimed  the  honor  of  this  device,  and  it 
succeeded,  to  Strafford's  most  sanguine  Avishes,  in 
plundering  the  rightful  possessors,  and  finding  for  tlic 
crown.  Nor  did  Strafford  limit  his  sphere  of  evil  action 
to  subverting  the  religion  of  the  Irish  Catholics  and 
divesting  them  of  their  patrimonial  inheritance.  The 
Woollen  Manufactures  of  Ireland  were  not  suffered  to 
escape;  they  were  pronounced  injurious  to  English 
speculation,  and  were  consequently  annihilated  ;  even 
salt  was  adjudged  a  monopoly  to  the  king,  and  the  Lord 
Deputy  consoled  himself  with  having  sought  to  bring  the 
people  to  a  conformity  in  religion,  but  above  all,  on  hav 
ing  raised  a  good  revenue  for  the  crown.  Hence,  when 
ne  returned  to  England,  and  made  a  report  of  his  con- 
duct to  the  council,  he  was  gratefully  informed  by  the 
king,  that  "if  he  had  served  him  otherwise,  he  would 
not  have  served  him  as  he  expected." 

Strafford,  or  as  he  is  yet  known  to  the  Irish  peasantry 
by  the  epithet  of ' '  Black  Tom, "  was  succeeded  by  Wandes- 
ford,  whose  administration  was  too  short-lived  to  be  of  any 
benefit  to  the  Catholics,  if  he  ever  contemplated  such,  or 
of  greater  misery,  which  it  is  likely  he  meant  to  inflict. 
Tyranny,  less  vexatious  than  this  which  we  have  glanced 
at,  would  hare  driven  any  other  people  to  madness. 
In  fact,  the  Scotch  Covenanters  had  no  such  provoca- 
tion  to  rebellion,  and  yet  they  rose  in  might  and 
strength,  and,  in  a  great  measure,  brought  about  tl.at 
terrible  tragedy  which  commenced  with  the  execution  ot 
S  iraffbrd  and  terminated  in  the  overthrow  of  the  monarchy: 
yet,  withal,  the  Irish  Catholics  clang  to  the  throne,  as 
if  they  had  been  its  cherished  objects  j  and,  although  it 


Ix 

has  been  the  wont  of  others  to  applaud  them  for  raising 
men  and  money  to  aid  the  king  in  his  efforts  to  crush 
the  Scotch,  our  habits  of  thought,  at  the  present  day, 
must  be  far  from  justifying  that  over- weening  loyalty 
vhich  induced  them  to  arm  in  the  cause  of  despotism. 

Wandesford  was  succeeded  by  Sir  William  Parsons 
and  Sir  John  Borlase,  two  Puritans,  who  seem  to  have 
thought  of  nothing  save  pillaging  the  Catholics  and 
anathematizing  their  religion.  The  odious  tyranny  of 
these  men — their  wanton  invasion  of  the  most. sacred 
rights,  and  the  utter  disregard  of  all  the  obligations  of 
oaths  and  conscience,  find  no  counterpart,  even  in  the 
terrible  time  of  Strafford.  Human  patience  had  reached 
its  limit — the  people  goaded  to  desperation,  prepared  to 
fling  off  tlie  yoke— a  plot  for  seizing  the  Castle  of  Dub- 
lin  was  laid— treachery  was  at  work — the  conspiracy 
failed,  but  a  revolution  speedily  followed.  Prom  north 
to  south  the  masses  rose,  headed  by  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill 
and  other  chiefs  of  the  old  nobility.  In  the  December 
of  1641,  a  coalition  took  place  between  the  Anglo- Irish 
Catholics  of  the  Pale,  and  the  "  ancient  Irish."  Out  of 
hat  coalition  sprung  the  Confederation,  the  avowed 
object  of  which  was,  to  assert  by  force  of  arms  the 
free  and  independent  exercise  of  the  Cathohc  religion, 
and  the  restoration  of  the  churches  to  their  rightful 
inheritors.  Of  course,  both  parties,  "  the  Catholics  of 
'.he  Pale"  and  the  "Celtic  tribes,"  were  solemnly 
pledged  to  win  back  tneir  estates  and  homesteads,  or 
perish  in  the  struggle.  They  were  glorious  objects  and 
well  worth  fighting  for.  A  congregation  of  bishops 
pronounced  the  war  to  be  "lawful  and  pious;"  and 
the  men  who  were  engaged  in  it  must  have  triumphed 
had  they  been  true  to  themselves  and  firmly  banded 
together;  but  they  were  not.  Mutual  jealousies,  dis- 
trusts, temporizing  expediency,  and  wily  diplomacy 
broke  their  compact  array,  and  left  them  victims  to  the 
horrors  which  subsequently  desolated  the  land.     But 


even  so ;  in  the  annals  of  Europe  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  nobler  devotion  or  more  brilliant  chivalry  than 
that  wluch  may  be  learned  from  this  period  of  our 
history.  Could  there  have  been  a  more  spirit-stirring 
motive  for  gallant  achievements  ?  The  faitli,  for  whose 
independence  those  men  drew  their  swords,  was  that 
which  our  Apostle  preached  on  the  heights  of  Slane, 
r,nd  in  the  presence  of  the  great  assembly  of  Tara.  The 
lands  of  which  the  Catholics  had  been  plundered  were 
theirs  before  the  Norman  set  foot  on  our  shores.  The 
descendants  of  the  invaders  who  remained  true  to  theii 
religion,  were  robbed  and  tortured  for  their  martyr-like 
attachment  to  the  ancient  creed.  Tlie  churches  which 
the  piety  of  Irish  princes  and  Norman  barons  had  ereeted 
were  in  the  gripe  of  usurpers,  and  were  not  the  Irisi 
Catholics  justified  before  God  and  man  in  seeking  to 
expel  them  by  force  of  arms  ?  In  a  country  like  Ireland, 
at  all  times  so  fondly  devoted  to  the  Chair  of  St.  Peter, 
such  events  as  these  could  not  have  been  unaccompanied 
by  deeds  of  heroism  which  may  have  been  equalled,  but 
certainly  cannot  be  surpassed  in  the  history  of  any 
-ther  country.  Even  now,  after  centuries  of  degrada- 
vion  and  sufferings,  are  not  the  religious  characteristics 
of  the  Irish  people  still  the  same  ?  The  love  of  their 
religion,  like  that  of  Francesca,  so  thrillingly  described 
by  Dante,*  has  endured  and  outlived  bitter  trial  and 
agonizing  torment ;  even  now  it  docs  not  abandon  them, 
but  seems  to  have  been  more  closely  wedded  to  their 
hearts  by  the  recollection  of  all  the  blood  and  tears  it 
cost  them.  That  sublime  passion  brought  death  to  the 
*over  and  the  loved ;  but  a  resurrection  has  followed, 
and  Ireland  is  now  the  wonder  and  the  admiration  of 
the  world.  Go  where  we  will,  we  cannot  meet  any 
section  of  tlie  human  race  braver,  purer,  or  more 
generous ;  their  love  of  fatherland  is  only  equalled  by 
their  attaclunent  to  the  ancient  creed.  Would  you  a^k 
*  Inferno.  Canto  V. 


tlie  Irish  peasant,  wlietlier  toiling  for  a  livelihood 
"beyond  the  Atlantic  foam,"  or  brooding  in  sullen 
silence  over  his  miseries  in  his  own  land,  what  hope  is 
nearest  to  his  heart,  he  wiU  tell  you,  it  is  that  of  laying 
his  bones  within  these  grey  old  ruins  which  chronicle 
the  rise  and  fall  of  his  country  ? 

But,  heaven  forbid  that  it  should  be  inferred  from 
these  reflections  that  I  or  any  one  else  designed  to  stir 
an  angry  passion,  or  shadow  forth  a  desire  of  resorting 
to  violence  for  the  possession  of  these  grand  old  temples, 
now  no  longer  ours.  Too  much  blood  has  been  already 
shed  in  the  struggle  to  win  them  back.  Who  would 
strike  a  blow  for  the  casket  while  the  gem  is  in  our 
hands  ?  Enough  for  us  that  these  majestic  monuments 
still  remain  indisputable  evidences  of  our  former  great- 
ness and  the  antiquity  of  our  faith.  It  is  not  by  armed 
violence  that  they  will  ever  revert  to  us ; — no,  that  con- 
summation is  only  to  be  hoped  for  when 
"  Europe,  repentant  of  her  parricide, 
Siiall     .    .    .    sue  to  be  forgiven."  ♦ 

But  the  age  of  the  Confederation  has  gone  by,  and  ex- 
traordinary events  have  succeeded  it.  A  Confederation  of 
another  order  has  sprung  up,  and  done  much  more  for  the 
"  dear  old  land"  than  all  that  the  sword  of  Owen  Roe 
was  able  to  accomplish; — "  the  voice  and  the  pen"  are 
more  potent  weapons  in  the  nineteenth  century.  Yet, 
whilst  we  gladly  acknowledge  their  efficiency,  let  us  not 
befool  ourselves  by  seeking  to  disparage  those  who,  in 
the  battle  for  liberty,  resorted  to  the  sword.  The  idea 
of  casting  censure  on  Tell,  or  Hofer,  or  Hugh  O'Neill, 
is  unworthy  of  a  brave  and  generous  people.  In  a  coun- 
try like  this  it  would  be  dishonoring  the  memories  of  our 
illustrious  dead  were  we  to  depreciate  that  heroism  which 
held  life  not  w^th  possessing  when  deprived  of  the  in 
comparable  blessings  of  freedom.     All  our  hopes  are  now 

•  ChUde  Farold.  Canto  lY. 


xii 

jnked  witli  the  great  unarmed  Confederacy  which  lias 
brought  mind  and  argument  to  combat  irfjustice ;  but 
that  Confederacy  has  reason  to  be  guarded  against  the 
weapons  which  ruined  its  martial  predecessor.  Even 
now  there  is  a  Pale,  the  foundations  of  which  are  laid  in 
inveterate  prejudices  and  hostile  feelings.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  it  should  disappear,  and  that  all  of  us,  of  every 
creed,  be  banded  together  in  the  peaceful  determination 
to  "  have  oar  own  again,"  The  fatalities  which  de- 
stroyed the  men  of  another  period  originated  in  crafty 
diplomacy,  soothing  promises,  and  flattering  expediency. 
Heaven  guard  us  against  a  recurrence  of  similar  evils ! 
Unity  and  untiring  exertion  are  our  only  means  of  esta- 
blishing our  legislative  independence.  To  use  the  Ian 
guage  of  an  eloquent  writer — "  There  is  now  no  statute 
of  Kilkenny — no  Catholic  Confederacy — no  Protestant 
Ascendancy,  to  keep  us  from  entire  nationhood.  The 
religion  of  each  is  free, — the  golden  gates  of  prosperity 
open  in  the  vista  of  our  pi-edestined  path  j  we  must 
enter  them  hand-in-hand,  or  not  at  all."  * 

One  word  more,  and  I  have  done.  I  know  full  well 
how  unequal  I  have  been  to  treat  this  momentous  sub- 
ject; but,  if  I  lacked  the  necessary  ability,  no  one 
^an  accuse  me  of  want  of  industry.  The  volume  which 
will  describe  the  wars  of  Cromwell  is  yet  to  be  writ- 
ten, and  it  will  be  the  duty  of  the  individual  whose 
province  that  is,  to  commence  where  I  left  off.  The 
congregation  of  the  Prelates  at  Jamestown  and  Lough- 
rea,  as  well  as  the  Lorrain  embassy,  are  intimately  con- 
nected with  all  that  I  have  left  untouched,  and  will  be 
fully  developed  in  a  subsequent  volume.         C.  P.  M. 


*  Jfation  newspaper,  Jund  27th,  18i3' 

f 


CONFEDERATIOK  OF  KILKENNY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  twenty- third  of  October,  1G42,  is  a  memorable 
epoch  in  the  annals  of  Ireland.  On  that  day,  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Irish  Catholics,  deputed  by  the  cities, 
counties,  and  towns,  were  assembling  in  the  city  of 
Kilkenny,  to  deliberate  on  their  actual  position,  and 
organise  a  confederacy,  the  foundations  of  which  had 
been  already  laid. 

It  was  a  grand  and  solemn  spectacle — nor  does  the  his- 
tory of  any  country  record  a  more  spirit-stirring  scene 
than  that  which  was  witnessed  in  the  old  city  of  St. 
Canice,*  at  this  momentous  period.  The  rapid  transition 
from  heart-breaking  thraldom  to  bold  and  armed  inde- 
pendence,  was  never  more  convincingly  manifest.  Ire- 
land, hitherto  chained,  and  tortured  by  the  most  inhimian 
enactments,  beheld  her  sons,  clergy  and  laity,  repudiating 
the  despotism  of  Parsons  and  Borlase,  who,  in  the 
absence  of  Lord  Leicester,  held  the  reins  of  government, 
and  resorting  to  the  only  means  left  them  for  the  redress 
of  their  grievances — self-legislation  and  an  appeal  to 
arms. 

Who  can  adequately  describe  the  feelings  which,  at 
this  moment,  must  have  thrilled  the  hearts  of  the  Irish 
Catholics  ?  But  thirty-nine  years  before,  the  Lord 
Deputy  Mountjoy,  from  the  Castle  of  Dublin,  sent  an 
insolent  letter  to  the  maj^r  of  Kilkenny,  reprimanding 
him  for  allowing  the  old  abbey  church  of  St.  Francis  to 
be  used  for  the  celebration  of  the  mass.     His  orders  to 

•  >''</.  fiVerisciue  vero  Canicopoli*  nuncnpatur."— ^JS-  •^^«»n-  204. 


14  CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 

close  its  gates  were  promptly  obeyed,  and  the  frightenei/ 
worshippers  were  obliged  to  betake  themselves  to  some 
obscure  spot  in  the  dingy  lanes  of  the  city,  to  celebrate 
the  mysteries  of  their  religion.  The  sanguinary  edicts 
of  the  times  caused  men  to  pray  after  the  manner  of  their 
forefathers,  as  though  the  moments  of  their  existence 
were  to  be  counted  by  the  duration  of  the  sacrifice — for 
that  one  act,  life  and  property  might  be  said  to  be  at  stake ; 
for,  in  the  unscrupulous  calculations  of  such  men  as  Mount- 
joy,  Parsons,  and  Borlase,  it  was  deemed  no  sin  to  perse- 
cute and  plunder,  in  this  world,  those  whom  their  gloomy 
fanaticism  excluded  from  all  participation  in  the  hap- 
piness of  the  next.  But  what  an  extraordinary  contrast 
now  presented  itself— in  less  than  one  year  how  much  had 
been  done  to  exalt  the  condition  of  the  Catholic  people  of 
Ireland  !  Men,  who  were  hitherto  impatient  of  the  yoke, 
now  bravely  flung  it  oif.  Mountjoy's  malevolence,  and  the 
intolerable  dictation  of  the  justices  were  treated  with 
scorn  and  contempt.  Those  who  commenced  the 
struggle  in  the  preceding  October,  knew  well  that 
they  had  been  driven  from  their  sanctuaries  and  home- 
steads, by  fraud  and  violence,  and  were  now  deter- 
mined to  assert  their  rightful  claims,  even  at  the 
sword's  point.  The  struggle  for  independence  was  to  be 
resumed  in  a  more  formidable  and  combined  manner  ; 
and,  even  now,  they  might  behold  some  glorious  results 
from  a  warfare  which  had  all  the  appearances  of  a 
sudden  onfall  without  any  characteristic  of  well  ordered 
arrangement.  On  such  an  occasion,  what  heart  could 
have  been  indifferent  to  the  exciting  circumstances  of  the 
time  and  place.  From  the  towers  of  St.  Canice  and  the 
black  abbey  the  gladsome  pealing  of  the  bells  proclaimed 
a  new  era.  David  Roth,  bisliop  of  Ossory,  ascended  the 
episcopal  throne  in  the  cathedral.  The  altars,  which  were 
si^riip.gjously  overthrown,  were  re-erected,  and  the 
snrine  of  the  saint  was  restored.  A  monument  was  set 
ut:  to  rpp/-rd  the  fact,  and  the  splendid  old  fane  was  once 
more  devoted  to  the  ancient  worship* — nor  was  this  all — 

f 
*  "  Memoriae  David  Roth 
Qui  hanc  eccl.  cathed. 
S.  Canicio  sacram 
Pristino  restituit  cultu!." 

O'PHELAH'f 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY.         15 

eome  of  the  monasteries  which  had  been  used  for  profane 
purposes  were  again  occupied  by  the  religious  bodies,  and 
the  friar  walked  abroad  in  the  habit  of  his  order.  Never, 
in  the  history  of  anj'  country,  was  there  wrought  so 
wondrous  a  change  in  so  short  a  time,  and  against  such 
fearful  odds. 

Nor  are  we  to  suppose  that  the  joy  created  by  these 
extraordinary  events  was  confined  to  those  who  wit- 
nessed them  at  home.  Some  of  the  most  chivalrous  men 
who  had  served  in  continental  armies,  were  born  in 
Ireland.  Religious  persecution  had  driven  them  from 
their  homes,  and  they  eagerly  watched  the  moment 
when  they  might  return,  and  be  useful  to  their  own 
land.  That  moment  had  come,  nor  were  they  slow  in 
sympathising  with  their  kinsmen  and  friends.  Owen  Roe 
O'Neill,  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  Spanish 
armies,  relinquished  his  command,  and  was  warmly 
commended  by  the  Pope  for  that  zeal  and  love  of  father- 
land, which  prompted  him  to  peril  all  he  held  dear  for 
the  emancipation  of  his  country  and  religion.  Preston, 
too,  of  the  hou^e  of  Gormanstown,  who  had  won  his 
laurels  in  1636,  under  the  walls  of  Louvain,  apparently 
actuated  by  the  same  feelings,  and  at  the  expense  of  Car- 
dinal Richlieu,  sailed  with  Or  considerable  number  of 
oflficers  for  the  coast  of  Wexford,  where  he  landed  arms 
and  ammunition.  From  the  banks  of  the  Seine  to 
the  Tagus,  and  thence  to  the  Vatican,  beyond  the  Tiber, 
the  news  of  the  Irish  rising  had  travelled  with  rapidity. 
Philip  IV.,  of  Spain,  extolled  the  boldness  of  his  co- 
religionists. France,  chivalrous  France,  applauded 
the  bravery  of  the  men  who  had  arisen  to  smite 
oppression ;  and  Urban  VIII.,  at  the  tomb  of  the 
apostles,  invoked  blessings  on  the  arms  of  his  faithful 
Irish  children. 

But  if  anything  could  add  to  the  joy  of  those  who 
beheld  these  occurrences  from  a  distance,  or  raise  still 
higher  the  enthusiasm  which  reigned  at  home,  it  was  an 
event  which  had  recently  occurred :  that  event  was  the 
coalition  of  the  Catholic  nobility  and  gentry  of  the  Pale 
with  the  Celtic  or  "  old  Irish."  Let  us  pause  to  examine 
the  characteristics  of  both,  ere  we  describe  the  causes 
which  brought  them  to  struggle  in  the  same  cause,  and 
march  under  the  same  standard. 


16         CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

"  From  time  immemorial,"  says  an  accm-ate  observer,  "there  always 
existed  among  tlie  Irish  two  adverse  parties,  '  the  ancient  and  the 
modem;'  the  former  was  ever  opposed  to  the  dominion  of  England, 
and  generally  spealung,  refused  the  investiture  of  church  property,  the 
latter,  on  the  contrary,  aggrandised  by  tho  spoils  of  the  religious 
houses  andcathcdi-als,  and  bound  to  the  King  of  England  by  obligation 
no  less  than  interest,  neither  sought  nor  desired  anything  but  the 
exaltation  of  the  Crown." 

In  fact,  the  Catholics  of  the  Pale  were  thoroughly  Eng- 
lish  in  all  their  sympathies,  if  we  except  those  which 
regarded  religion ;  they  were  strongly  contrasted  with 
the  ancient  Celtic  tribes,  who  had  been  plundered,  even 
with  the  connivance  of  their  new  allies  ;  nor  did  the  two 
races  differ  as  to  feelings  and  predilection  only :  the  supe- 
riority of  the  "  old  Irish,"  in  the  year  1641,  was  not  less 
striking,  as  to  outward  appearances,  than  in  the  days  of 
Hollinslied  ;  for,  while  the  "Anglo-Irish"  are  described  as 
•♦  weak  and  low  of  stature,"  the  "  old  Irish"  we  are  told, 
'•  were  tall,  and  of  huge  frame."* 

Well  may  we  wonder,  that  men  of  such  different  views 
and  predilections  could  be  brought  together  within  the 
walls  of  Kilkenny.  Yerily  it  must  have  been  some 
irresistible  motive  which  could  induce  the  two  parties  to 
bury  in  oblivion  the  antagonism  and  mortal  enmity  of 
400  years.  No  matter  how  ardently  the  mendacious 
publications  of  the  times  sought  to  identify  them  with 
the  men  who  originated  the  rising  of  1641,  they  did  not 
succeed  in  convincing  any  unbiassed  mind.  One  who 
was  a  conspicuous  actor  in  these  varied  scenes,  so 
often  bright  with  hope,  and  darkened  by  reverses, 
has  triumphantly  proved  that  the  Irish  rising,  so 
^  far  from  being  countenanced  by  the  nobility  and  gentry 
of  the  Pale,  had  not  a  single  individual  of  English 
extraction  concerned  or  implicated  in  it.f  On  the  con- 
trary, when  the  "old  Irish"  took  up  arms  to  resist  the 
Puritans,  "who  were  Jpent  on  extinguishing  the  Catholic 
faith,  and  plucking  up  the  Irish  nation,  root  and 
branch,  "t  their  brethren  of  the  Pale  earnestly  besought 
the  justices  to  put  them  in  possession  of  arms,  that  they 
might  march  against  them,  and,  if  possible,  crush 
them.§     Sir  Kobert  Talbot,  a  Catholic,  was  rearlj,  in 

•  Pdnuccini.  f  Castlehaven's  Mem. 

t  Declaration  o^  vh»  Prelates  at  Jamesto^vn.       §  Carte's  Oniv 


COKiEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  \/ 

I'ts  hasty  zeal,  to  proceed  to  the  county  Wicklow,  and 
outroot  the  septs  of  the  O'Byrnes  and  O'Tooles,  who 
had  been  plundered  by  Sir  William  Parsons,  and  driven 
to  madness  by  the  savage  Coote.  Lord  Gormanstown, 
and  others  of  his  order,  such  asDunsany  and  Netterville, 
burned  for  an  opportunity  in  which  they  might  prove 
their  loyalty,  by  persecuting  the  men  who  had  arisen  to 
beat  down  the  most  intolerable  despotism — they  sought 
arms,  but  were  denied  tiiem,— they  were  treated  with  the 
contempt  which  they  merited,  nor  did  the}-  repent  them 
of  their  bloody  purpose,  till  they  found  theuiselves  in- 
volved in  the  damnatory  edicts  which  the  justices  pub- 
lished against  '' all  Papists  without  distinction  of  any:' 
Yet  did  tliey  still  indulge  a  hope  that  these  denuncia- 
tions might  be  mitigated  in  their  behalf,  but  the  hope 
soon  vanished.  Their  religion  was  a  plausible  pretext 
for  robbing  them ;  their  estates  were  worth  having,  and 
had  long  tempted  the  cupidity  of  Parsons  and  Borlase. 
Indeed  the  sordid  griping  of  those  men  stands  without 
parallel.  Perfectly  unscrupulous  as  to  the  means  of 
acquiring  wealth,  they  hesitated  not  to  smite,  with 
"  axe  and  oath,"  all  who  stood  between  them  and  their 
object ;  nor  can  we  find  the  counterpart  of  such  unblusli- 
ing  plunderers,  save  amongst  those  whom  Dante  describes 
in  the  eighth  circle  of  the  Inferno.' 

But  a  new  light  began  to  break  in  on  them,  and 
they  were  soon  made  aware  of  the  danger  which  beset 
them.  A  letter  from  the  Earl  of  Essex  to  the  justices, 
suggesting  the  expediency  of  banishing  the  lords  and 
gentry  of  the  Pale  to  the  West  Indies,  was  sufficient  to 
alarm  and  teach  them  to  provide  for  their  safety.  They 
had  no  alternative ;  to  stay  any  longer  separated  from 
the  national  movement,  perilled  their  lives  and  fortunes. 
The  rackings  and  torturings  of  their  own  kinsmen,  and 
the  cruelties  and  the  atrocities  which  they  were 
forced  to  endure  in  the  Castle  of  Dublin,  gave  fearful 
warning  that  a  similar  course  of  treatment  was  in  reserve 
for  themselves.  Remonstrances  were  vain,  for  they 
were  unheeded, — loyalty,  and  hoary  age,  Avere  but 
"scurvy  pleas"  at  such  a  moment.  Patrick  Barnwellf 
of  Killbrew,  and  Sir  John  Read,  were  living  witnesscja 

»  Inferno.  Canto  xxvlii.  t  Cai'te's  Ormoni 


18 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


of  the  inhumanity  of  the  executive :  without  the  shadow 
of  a  charge  against  their  devotion  to  the  Crown,  they 
had  their  sinews  stretched,  and  their  bones  broken 
in  the  torture-charaber  of  Dublin  Castle.  Their  crime 
was,    that   they   were  Papists,    and,    consequently,    fit 

, objects  for  the  vengeance  of  Parsons  and  Borlase,  No 
matter  how  reluctant  they  might  have  been,  the  nobility 
and  gentry  of  the  Pale  had  no  other  course  open  to 
them,  save  that  of  joining  with  those  who,  in  the 
hypocritical  slang  of  the  times,  were  denominated 
"rebels."  Naturally  enough,  they  dreaded  to  encounter 
the  pains  and  penalties  to  which  their  religion  consigned 
them,  and  they  determined  to  abandon  their  vacillation, 
and  seek  protection  in  the  patriot  ranks.  Thus  were  the 
lords  of  the  Pale  at  length  convinced  that  their  kindly 
feelings  to  England  couJd  not  protect  them  when  the 
rack  might  be  called  in  to  support  the  suspicions  and 
confirm  the  jealousies  of  the  justices,  who  had  an  interest 
in  their,-,  destruction.*  Their  tenants  on  their  own 
estates  had  been  wantonly  pillaged,  and  their  persons 
wounded.  Coote's  thirst  for  blood  was  insatiable,  and 
his  threat  of  not  leaving  a  Catholic  in  Ireland  began  to 
gain  some  truth,  from  the  recollection  of  his  barbarities 
in  Wicklow.  Was  the  man  who  could  smile  and  become 
facetious  when  an  infant  was  writhing  on  the  pike  of  one 
of  his  soldiers,  incapable  of  any  deed  which  diabolical 
ingenuity  could  suggest  ? 

^  Finglas,  Clontarf,  and  Santry,  were  the  scenes  of  the 
most  wanton  murders,  perpetrated  by  this  man  on  people 
whose  proximity  to  the  capital  might  have  been  sufficient 
guarantee  for  their  loyalty,  or,  at  least,  for  their  inability 
to  do  the  state  any  mischief  When  the  humbler  classes 
of  the  Catholics  were  thus  persecuted,  what  could  tlieir 
lords  expect  by  tame  acquiescence,  or  what  solace  could 
they  borrow  from  delusive  hope  ?  But,  above  all,  what 
good  could  accrue  to  them  from  perpetuating  the  anta- 
gonism which,  alas  !  had  too  long  divided  "  the  modern" 
and  the  "old  Irish."     It  was  madness  to  continue  it, 

\and  the  meeting  on  the  Hill  of  Crofty,  in  the  county 

'  Meath,  was  the  result  of  their  reflections.  There,  as  on 
an  altar,    Roger  O'Moore  and  Lord  Gormanstown,  the 


•  Cartes  Onn.,  p.  259. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  19 

representatives  of  the  two  parties,  plighted  a  solemn 
vow,  and  swore  to  bury  in  oblivion  the  feuds  and  dissen- 
sions which  had  long  wasted  their  strength  and  now  left 
them  a  prey  to  the  designs  and  hatred  of  the  common 
enemy. 

Lord  Gormanstown,  and  the  other  lords  of  the  Pale 
proceeded,  soon  after,  to  take  measures  which  the 
exigencies  of  the  times  necessarily  demanded.  Some 
levies  of  men,  badly  equipped,  and  hastily  disciplined, 
were  made  in  the  various  baronies.  Commanders  were 
appointed,  and  orders  were  issued  to  raise  such  means 
as  were  necessary  for  their  support.  The  meeting  on 
Knockcrofty,  and  its  immediate  results,  had  two  very 
natural  consequences  :  all  hope  of  reconciliation  with 
'the  justices  was  henceforth  abandoned,  and  the  "old 
Irish,"  who  had  commenced  the  struggle  in  the  north 
and  south,  determined  to  persevere  with  redoubled 
energy,  now  that  they  were  joined  by  the  men  of  the 
Pale.  Willing  or  unwilling,  they  were  driven  into  a 
position  from  which  they  could  not  recede.  No  matter 
what  their  sympathy  might  have  been  for  English  domi- 
nation, their  religion  was  the  grand  plea  for  their 
destruction:  that  they  held  in  common  with  the  "old 
Irish,"  and  in  defence  of  the  ancient  creed  they  were 
solemnly  pledged  to  stand  or  fall.  The  objects  of  the  two 
parties  now  united  were  grand,  and  well  worth  a  com- 
bined effort.  The  Puritans  of  England  meditated  the 
ruin  of  the  monarchy :  they  were  assisted  in  Ireland  by 
the  machinations  of  the  justices.  Next  to  the  ruin  of 
royalty,  they  ambitioned  nothing  so  much  as  the  extir- 
pation of  the  Catholics.  The  preservation  of  the  regal 
,  power  was  an  object  dear  to  the  ancient  and  modern 
Irish,  but  in  every  thing  pertaining  to  religion,  the  Celt 
knew  no  compromise,  while  his  ally  on  the  other  hand 
would  be  satisfied  with  mere  toleration.  Manifestoes, 
calling  on  the  leaders  to  arm  in  the  common  cause,  were 
forwarded  to  the  principal  towns ;  a  great  portion  of 
Ulster  had  been  already  won  back  by  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill ; 
Lord  Mountgarret  captured  Kilkenny ;  Waterford  opened 
its  gates  to  his  son.  Colonel  Edmund  Butler  ;  Koss  and 
Wexford  declared  for  the  national  cause  ;  the  O'Briens 
were  almost  masters  of  Clare  ;  and,  in  the  fastnesses  of 
iar-Connaught,  there  was  a  steady  organisation  in  pro- 


20 


CONFEDERATIOX   OF   KILKENNY 


gress,  which  alarmed  the  Earl  of  Clanricarde,  who, 
wishing  to  preserve  the  good  opinion  of  the  justices, 
stood  aloof  from  the  general  movement. 

But  it  was  not  till  the  22d  of  March  1642,  that  the 
Catholic  prelates  took  any  part  in  these  momentous 
proceedings.  Of  course  their  influence  had  been  em- 
ployed to  exhort  and  encourage  their  flocks  in  fighting 
the  battle  of  the  faith ;  but,  previous  to  that  period,  it 
was  quite  impossible  that  they  could  have  been  synodi- 
cally  convened.  Their  presence  was  required  in  many  a 
hard  fought  field,  to  console  and  comfort  those  who 
had  fallen  in  the  struggle  ;  nor  had  they  time  or  oppor- 
tunity to  assemble  and  deliberate  in  councils. 

^  The  provincial  synod  at  Kells,  convened  by  Hugh 
O'iieilly,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  was  attended  by  all  the 
bishops  of  the  province,  with  the  exception  of  Thomas 
Dease,  bishop  of  Meath,  who,  like  Lord  Clanricarde, 
sought  to  extinguish  the  spirit  of  patriotism  in  the 
hearts  of  his  people.  Dease,  who  was  evidently  influ- 
enced by  the  Earl  of  Westmeath,  had  already  done 
serious  evil  to  the  Catholic  forces  besieging  Drogheda, 
by  preventing  supplies  from  reaching  them ;  his  presence, 
therefore,  must  have  been  anything  but  agreeable  to  tlie 
patriotic  primate  and  other  prelates.  Tiieir  meeting  was 
brief,  but  of  great  moment ;  after  mature  deliberation, 
they  pronounced  the  war  undertaken  by  the  Catholics 
to  be  lawful  and  pious,  and  issued  a  spirited  address  to 
their  flocks,  exhorting  them  to  take  up  arms  for  their 
religion,  country,  and  king.  A  series  of  decrees  against 
murderers  and  usurpers  of  other  men's  estates,  was  pub- 
lished by  this  synod,  and  the  pains  and  penalties  wliich  the 
bishops  pronounced  against  all  evil  doers,  fully  cleared 
them  from  the  foul  aspersions  of  the  justices,  who,  in  their 
puritanical  cant,  declared  that  "  they  had  walked  invisibly 
in  works  of  darkness."*  Before  the  prelates  retired  to 
their  respective  sees,  they  sent  a  manifesto  to  those 
bishops  who  had  not  been  present,  advertising  them  of  a 
national  synod  to  be  held  at  Kilkenny,  on  the  10th  of 
May  following.  The  meeting  of  the  prelates  had 
Bcarcely  terminated,  when  two  e'i'ents  occurred  which 
were  calculated  to  depress  the  hcttrts  of  men  with  iosa 


•  Carte's  Orm.  p.  325. 


GONFEDEAATION    OT    KILKENNY.  2\ 

holy  and  inspiriting  objects  than  those  of  the  Irish  Ca- 
tholics. 

The  civil  -war  had  not,  as  yet,  broken  out  in  England  ; 
the  fire  of  revolution  was  still  smouldering,  and  only  re- 
quired the  breath  of  popular  excitement  to  fan  it  into 
flame.  The  hatred  which  the  factions  on  the  other  side 
of  the  channel  entertained  for  the  Irish  Papists, 
was  fed  and  invigorated  by  printed  catalogues  of 
forged  murders  and  shocking  atrocities,  sworn  by  corrupt 
witnesses  to  have  been  committed  on  the  Protestants  iu 
Ulster,  and  the  other  provinces.  If  anything  could  add 
to  that  deadly  hatred,  it  was  the  event  known  as  the 
''defection  of  the  Pale."  Charles  I.  gladly  seized 
an  opportunity  of  turning  the  attention  of  the  English 
parties  to  the  state  of  Ireland  ;  and,  in  a  message  to 
the  House  of  Commons,  on  the  8th  of  April,  he  signified 
his  desire  of  crossing  the  channel,  to  chastise  the  detest- 
able rebels,  and  settle  the  peace  of  the  kingdom  ;  pro- 
testing, at  the  same  time  ' '  that  he  would  never  consent 
to  the  toleration  of  the  Popish  profession,  or  the  abolitior 
of  the  laws  then  in  force  against  Popish  recusants. 
The  parliament,  however,  demurred,  and  the  justices  in 
Ireland  made  such  a  representation  of  the  state  of  the 
kingdom,  as  was  calculated  to  change  his  Majesty's 
design  of  visiting  it.  A  proposition,  however,  was 
submitted  to  the  king,  of  which  he  approved ;  2,500,000 
acres  were  declared  forfeited  to  the  Crown,  by  the  men 
engaged  in  rebellion ;  and  in  order  to  raise  money  for 
prosecuting  a  war  against  the  Irish  on  their  own  soil, 
and  against  the  king  in  England,  the  public  credit  was 
pledged  that  for  every  sum  advanced  they  should  receive 
a  proportionate  return  of  forfeited  property.*  This,  how- 
ever, was  one  of  the  many  acts  of  English  despotism 
which  might  have  been  turned  to  a  good  account — for, 
by  it,  the  Irish  people  were  reduced  to  the  alternative  of 
crushing  their  tyrants,  or  perishing  in  the  ruins  of  their 
proscribed  religion,  and  forfeited  homesteads. 

Cooped  up  within  the  walls  of  Dubhn,  the  justices 
vainly  represented  to  the  English  people  the  wretched 
state  of  their  troops,  and  the  formidable  array  of  the 
rebels.    Petition  after  petition  was  sent  to  England, 

•Lingard,  to«  x. 


22  CONFEDKKATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

and  many  a  supplication  for  supplies  of  old  clothing 
and  arms,  pathetically  headed  '' an  affair  of  bowels,"* 
was  passed  over  unheeded.  But  in  keeping  the  king 
from  the  Irish  shores,  they  had  accomplished  their 
purpose,  for  they  dreaded  nothing  so  much  as  any 
investigation  of  their  cruel  and  perfidious  acts. 

The  second  of  the  events  alluded  to,  was  the  arrival 
of  Munroe,  who,  with  2,500  men,  landed  at  Carrick- 
fergus  on  tlie  i5th  of  April,  where  he  was  soon  after 
joined  by  Lord  Conway,  and  Sir  Arthur  Chichester, 
with  a  large  supply  of  arms  and  ammunition. 

But  neither  the  king's  insolent  declaration,  nor  the 
arrival  of  the  Scotch  troops  in  Ulster,  had  power  to 
turn  the  Irish  from  their  purpose. 

In  the  south  and  west  ihe  people  were  everywhere 
crowding  round  the  popular  leaders,  Clanricarde's 
dictation  could  not  restrain  the  enthusiasm  of  his  pro- 
vince. He  had  no  hold  on  the  affections  of  his  people, 
and  as  they  knew  that  he  was  in  correspondence  with 
'  the  justices,  they  had  little  confidence  in  him.  They 
therefore  thought  it  advisable  to  stand  prepared  against 
.  such  horrors  as  Sir  William  St.  Leger,  the  president  of 
Munster,  was  inflicting  on  the  Catholics  in  his  province. 
That  man,  whose  barbarities  equalled  those  of  Sir  Charles 
Coote,  was  supplied  by  the  justices  with  money  and 
provisions,  and  ordered  to  execute  martial  law  on  those 
who  fell  into  his  hands.  Early  in  March  he  entered 
*'  Condon's  Country,"  and  having  massacred  the  inha- 
bitants, continued  his  march  into  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford ;  nor  did  he  return  till  he  had  burned  the  country 
from  Lismore  to  Dungarvan.  In  this  work  of  devasta- 
tion he  was  ably  assisted  by  the  Earl  of  Cork  and  his 
sons,  one  of  whom.  Lord  Kinalmeaky,  is  thus  eulogised  in 
« letter  from  his  father  to  the  Earl  of  Warwick : — '^  And 
now  that  the  boy  has  blooded  himself  upon  them,  I 
hope  that  God  will  bless  him ;  that  as  I  now  write  but 
of  the  killing  of  an  hundred,  I  shall  shortly  write  of 
the  killing  0/  tkousands."-\  Nevertheless,  St.  Leger  and 
the  Earl  of  Cork  could  not  have  withstood  the  frequent 
assaults  of  the  masses,  one-half  of  whom  were  not 
armed,  had  there  been  unanimity  amongst  the  leaders. 


> 


•  Thorpe's  Collect.,  E.  D.  S.       t  Smith's  History  of  Cork. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  23 

The  appointment  of  generals  was  a  never-ending  sub- 
ject of  controversy.  Undisciplined  and  badly  equipped, 
they  divided  their  strength  and  made  a  simultaneous 
attack  on  Youghal,  Bandon,  and  Kinsale.  Failure  was 
the  result.  Mountgarret  and  Barry  invested  Cork,  but 
were  successfully  resisted  by  St.  Leger  and  Inchiquin, 
and  were  finally  obliged  to  retire  into  Leinster. 

Notwithstanding  these  reverses,  the  natural  result  of 
want  of  plan  and  well-combined  arrangements,  almost 
every  town  in  Munster  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Irish. 
The  justices,  however,  were  determined  on  crushing  the 
unorganised  levies  in  the  province  of  Leinster,  and  Lord 
Ormond  was  deputed  to  command  their  troops.  Thig 
nobleman,  though  of  Irish  origin,  was  born  in  England. 
At  a  very  early  age  he  was  removed  from  the  Catholic 
school  of  Finchley,  near  Barnet,  to  the  tutelage  of  thc- 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  under  whom  he  soon 
abjured  the  faith  of  his  fathers.  He  tells  us  himsel; 
that  he  was,  not  only  by  birth,  extraction,  and  alliance, 
but  likewise  in  his  affections,  wholly  and  entirely  au 
Englishman.*  With  military  talents  of  a  superior  order, 
he  was  in  every  respect  equal  to  many  of  the  generals  of 
his  time.  In  diplomacy,  however,  he  excelled  them  all. 
Witli  the  most  fascinating  and  artful  address,  he  easily 
worked  himself  into  the  confidence  of  friends  and  foes ; 
but  under  the  guise  of  simplicity  and  candour  he  covered 
a  heart  which  was  full  of  treachery  and  craft.  The 
justices  had  unbounded  confidence  in  him,  and  he  in 
return  made  no  secret  of  his  love  and  honour  for  them. 
He  was  the  hope  of  that  faction  which  desired  nothing 
so  much  as  the  ruin  of  the  Irish  Catholics,  and  it  mat- 
tered very  little  how  many  perished,  provided  Ormond 
was  spared  to  carry  out  the  designs  of  his  patrons. 
In  the  opinion  of  the  men  whom  he  served,  he  is 
described  by  a  writer  at  the  period  of  which  we  treat 
as  *'  The  Jewell  of  the  Kingdom;  not  greater  in  name 
than  rare  abilities."  f 

The  justices  were  now  aware  that  the  time  appointed 
by  the  prelates  for  the  national  synod  was  nigh  at  hand ; 
and,  as  it  were  anticipating  the  order  and  organizatioc 
which  they  expected  to  result  from  the  congregated  pre- 

•  Caxte's  Orm.,  v  Ormond's  Letters.  i  Thorpe  Papers,  R.D.  S. 


24  CONI  fcDEAATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

lacy  and  lay  lords,  they  determined  to  strike  a  blow 
which  would  leave  the  leaders  comparatively  powerless. 
One,  whose  name  and  influence  might  have  been  consi- 
derable, did  not  live  to  witness  the  new  era  which  was 
about  to  dawn.  Lord  Gormanstown,  the  chief  of  the 
Catholic  nobility  of  Leinster,  a  prey'to  grief  and  vexa- 
tion of  spirit,  died,  and  the  command  of  the  Leinster 
levies  devolved  on  Lord  Mountgarret,  This  nobleman, 
who  was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Hugh,  Earl  of  Tyrone, 
had  early  distinguished  himself  in  the  wars  of  Queen 
Elizabeth ;  in  1559,  he  successfully  maintained  the  cas- 
ties  of  Bally ragget  and  Coleshill  against  her  Majesty's 
forces.  In  the  parliament  of  1613  and  1615  he  was 
fortunate  enough  to  win  the  good  will  of  James ;  and  in 
1619  he  got  a  confirmation  of  all  his  estates  with  the 
creation  of  several  manors  and  various  lucrative  privi- 
leges.* He  had  not,  however,  the  talents  which  were 
necessary  for  a  great  military  leader;  and,  like  the  other 
lords  who  had  lately  joined  the  "old  Irish,"  "he  was 
forced,"  according  to  his  own  confession,  "into  the  ge- 
neral cause  by  the  example  of  those,  who,  as  innocent 
and  free  from  infringing  his  majesty's  laws  as  himself, 
had  been  used  in  the  nature  of  traitors."  f 

On  the  2nd  of  April,  Ormond  marched  out  of  Dublin 
with  300  foot,  500  horse,  and  five  field  pieces.  It  was  on 
thii  day  that  his  castle  of  Carrick  had  been  taken  by 
Colonel  Edmund  Butler,  who  caused  all  the  prisoners, 
including  the  Countess  of  Ormond,  with  her  children, 
and  about  a  hundred  Protestants,  to  be  safely  conveyed 
to  Dublin.  Ormond's  object  was  to  victual  several  de- 
tached garrisons,  which  were  still  held  by  the  lords 
justices.  He  t*  ent  forth  with  the  usual  commission  to 
pillage,  burn,  aiwd  kill ;  and  notwithstanding  the  hu- 
manity and  forbearance  with  which  his  own  people 
had  been  treated,  he  did  not  fail  to  execute  his  or- 
ders to  the  very  letter.  He  advanced  to  Carlow,  Strad- 
bally,  and  Maryborough ; .  from  the  latter  place  he  sent 
Sir  Charles  Coqte  to  reinforce  the  garrisons  in  Burri*- 
Knockmenease'  and  Birr ;  which  service  having  beek 
performed,  Coote  rejoined  him  at  Athy  on  the  13th. 

•  Lodge,  iv.  p.  52. 
t  Mountgarret's  lutter  to  Ormond,  March  25, 1642. 


CONFEDERATIor?    OF    KILKENNY.  2? 

Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  princess  of  France,  was 
represented  by  the  growing  party  as  inimical  to  the 
liberty  of  the  subject,  and  bent  on  some  contrivance 
for  the  introduction  of  Popery.  Reared  in  the  heart 
of  a  despotic  court,  her  religion  and  pretended  ascen- 
dancy over  the  king,  furnished  ample  themes  for  tlie 
mal-contents,  who  argued  that  the  marriage  of 
Charles  was  far  from  being  sanctified  by  his  Popish 
queen.  Her  confessor  was  arrested,  the  service  of  her 
chapel  was  dissolved,  and  she  herself  had  retired  to 
Holland  with  a  view  of  soliciting  such  means^  from 
foreign  princes,  as  would  render  her  husband  equal  to 
the  exigencies  which  beset  him.* 

But  in  Ireland  the  success  of  the  Catholics  might  have 
been  far  more  signal,  had  there  been  a  combined  system 
between  tlie  leaders.  There  lacked  not  energy  nor  motive 
to  unite  them.  The  views  of  the  Puritan  faction,  repre- 
sented  by  Parsons  and  Borlase,  were  unmasked,  and 
the  opinion  which  had  already  seized  the  minds  of  the 
Catholics,  grew  stronger,  and  struck  its  roots  more 
deeply  day  by  day.  There  was  now  but  one  conviction 
on  their  minds,  and  that  was,  that  the  faction  who 
were  levying  war  against  the  throne,  had  set  their  hearts 
on  the  extirpation  of  the  Papists,  and  the  confiscation 
of  whatever  property  they  still  retained. 

It  has  been  already  stated  that  the  provincial  synod 
of  Kells  had  declared  the  war  against  the  Puritans  to 
be  "  pious  and  lawful,"  but  it  may  be  readily  conceived 
what  mighty  advantages  were  to  be  derived  from  a 
national  synod  of  all  the  bishops  and  clergy  of 
Ireland. 

According  to  arrangement,  the  synod  met  at  Kil- 
kenny, on  the  10th  of  May.  The  Archbishops  of 
Armagh,  Cashel,  and  Tuam,  with  six  other  bishops, 
and  the  proxies  of  five  more,  besides  vicars-general  and 
other  dignitaries,  were  present,  and  the  country  anxiously 
awaited  the  result  of  their  deliberations.  The  subjects 
which  they  had  to  treat  were  of  a  momentous  nature. 
They  regarded  war  as  well  as  peace,  and  we  may  easily 
imagine  that  they  would  have  stood  aloof  from  all 
matters    regarding    bloadshed,    if   the    cir<mm&tancea 

-  »  LiDjjard's  Ilistory  of  England.  toL  x.  pp.  172.  138. 


28  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

of  the  times  did  not  imperatively  demand  their  inter- 
ference. Their  flocks  were  exposed  to  the  hate  and 
rapacity  of  unrelenting  enemies ;  nor  could  the  epis- 
copal character  be  compromised,  if  the  hierarchy,  under 
such  circumstances,  laid  aside  the  crozier  for  the  sword. 
The  prelate  does  not  give  up  the  man,  when  the  act  of 
consecration  appoints  him  to  watch  over  his  people, 
and  an  authority  of  great  weight  has  decided,  that 
when  the  rights  and  liberties  of  one's  country  are 
invaded,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  man  to  gird  on  the 
sword.*  But  it  is  worth  remark,  that  the  acts  of 
this  synod  were  couched  in  a  spirit  of  mildness  which 
does  honour  to  the  patriot  prelates,  and  contrasts 
with  the  edicts  of  Parsons  and  Borlase,  as  day  does  with 
night.  Before  we  transcribe  that  portion  of  them 
which  has  immediate  reference  to  our  subject,  it  ia 
necessary  to  premise,  that  the  lay-lords  and  prelates 
drew  up  an  oath  of  association  which  was  to  be  taken  by 
all  tbe  Catholics  throughout  the  land.  Without  this 
bond  of  union  it  was  utterly  hopeless  to  expect  that  tbe 
Catholics  of  the  Pale  would  cordially  coalesce  with  the 
"old  Irish ;"  and  in  fact,  as  the  sequel  will  prove,  the  oath 
of  association  was  "the  only  essential  tie"f  between 
the  two  parties.  The  oath  itself  was  at  once  grand 
and  simple,  nor  did  it  oblige  those  wlio  took  it,  to  any 
act  incompatible  with  the  Christian  precept  which 
ordains,  that  we  are  to  give  to  God  the  tilings  that 
are  of  God,  and  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's.     But  it  is  necessary  that  we  submit  it  to  the 

THE  OATH  OF  ASSOCIATION. 
"  "I,  A.B.,  do  profess,  swear,  and  protest  before  God,  and  his  saints 
and  angels,  that  1  -nill.  during  my  life,  bear  true  faith  and  allegiance 
■0  my  .Sovereign  Lord,  Charles,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  of  Great 
Britain,  Franco,  and  Ireland,  and  to  his  heirs  and  lawful  successors; 
and  tliat  I  will,  to  my  power,  during  my  life,  defend,  uphold,  and  main- 
tain, all  his  and  their  just  prerogatives,  estates,  and  rights,  the  power 
and  privilege  of  the  Parliament  of  this  realm,  the  fundamental  laws  of 
Ireland,  the  free  exercise  of  the  Koman  Catholic  faith  and  religion 
throughout  this  land;  and  the  lives,  just  liberties,  possessions,  estates, 
and  rights  of  all  those  that  have  taken,  or  that  shall  take  this  oath,  and 
perform  the  contents  thereof;  and  that  I  will  obey  and  ratify  all  the 
orders  and  decrees'made  and  to  be  made  by  the  Supreme  Council  of 

*  "  111  hostem  PatiiiB  omnis  homo  milea." — Tertuilian  :  quoted  by 
Dr.  French  in  the  bleeding  Ipbigeuia. 
t  lliat.  of  the  Kern. 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 


29 


the  Confederate  Catholics  of  this  kingdom,  concerning  the  said  public 
cause  ;  and  I  will  not  seek,  directly  or  indirectly,  any  pardon  or  pro- 
tection for  any  act  done,  or  to  be  done,  touching  this  general  cause, 
without  the  consent  of  the  major  pai-t  of  the  said  council ;  and  that  I 
will  not,  directly  or  indirectly,  do  any  act  or  acts  that  shall  prejudice 
the  said  cause,  but  will,  to  the  hazard  of  my  life  and  estate,  assist, 
prosecute,  and  maintain  the  same. 

"  Moreover,  I  do  further  swear,  that  Twill  not  accept  of,  orsubmlt  unto 
any  peace,  made,  or  to  be  made,  with  the  said  Confederate  Catholics, 
without  the  consent  and  approbation  of  the  general  assembly 
of  the  said  Confederate  Catholics,  and  for  the  preservation  and 
strengthening  of  the  association  and  union  of  the  kingdom.  That  upon 
any  peace  or  accommodation  to  be  made  or  concluded  with  the  said 
Confederate  Catholics  as  aforesaid,  I  will,  to  the  utmost  of  my  power, 
insi.st  upon  and  maintain  the  ensuing  propositions,  until  a  peace,  as 
aforesaid,  be  made,  and  the  matters  to  be  agreed  upon  in  the  articles  of 
peace  be  established  and  secured  by  Parliament.  So  lielp  me,  God, 
and  his  holy  gospel. 

Such  was  this  solemn  oath,  or  "  faedus,"  which  gave  a 
distinct  appellation  to  those  who  bound  themselves  by 
it,  and  whom  we  are  henceforth  to  know  as  the  Confe- 
derate Catholics  of  Ireland. 

Having  issued  a  manifesto  calling  on  all  the  Catholics 
of  the  country  to  take  the  oath,  in  order  that  all  "  Irish 
neers,  magistrates,  noblemen,  cities,  and  provinces  may 
Ve  tied  together  with  the  holy  bond  of  union  and  con- 
cord, and  for  the  conservation  and  exercise  of  this 
union,"  they  ordained  the  following  points  : — 

"  I. — Whereas,  the  war  which  now  in  Ireland  the  Catholics  do  main- 
tain against  sectaries,  and  chiefly  against  Puritans,  for  the  defence  of 
the  Catholic  religion, — for  the  maintenance  of  the  prerogative  and 
royal  rights  of  our  gracious  Iving  Charles, — for  our  gracious  Queen,  so 
unworthily  abused  by  the  Puritans, — for  the  honor,  safety,  and  health 
of  their  royal  issue, — for  to  avert  and  repair  the  injuries  done  to  them,— 
for  the  conversion  of  the  just  and  lawful  safeguard,  liberties,  and  rights 
of  Ireland, — and,  lastly,  for  the  defence  of  tlieir  own  lives,  fortunes, 
lands,  and  possessions; — whereas  this  war  is  undertaken  for  the  fore- 
said causes  against  unlawful  usui-pers,  oppressors,  and  the  enemies  of 
the  Catholics,  chiefly  Puritans,  and  that  hereof  we  are  informed,  as 
well  by  divers  and  true  remonstrances  of  divers  provinces,  counties, 
and  noblemen,  as  also  by  the  unanimous  consent  and  agreement  of 
Rlmost  the  whole  kingdom  in  tliis  war  and  union, — we,  therefore,  de- 
clare ttiat  war,  openly  Catholic,  to  be  lawful  and  just;  in  which  war,  U 
■  jome  of  the  Catholics  be  found  to  proceed  out  of  some  particular  and 
unjust  title— covetousness,  cruelty,  revenge,  or  hatred,  or  any  such 
unlawful  private  intentions — we  declare  them  therein  grievously  to  sin, 
and  therefore  worthy  to  be  punished  and  restrained  with  ecclesiastical 
censures  if,  advised  thereof,  they  do  not  amend. 

"11. — Whereas  the  adversaries  do  spread  divers  rumours,  do  writ* 
divers  letters,  and,  under  the  King's  name,  do  print  proclamationa, 
which  are  not  the  Kine'"s,  by  which  means  divers  plots  and  dangeia 


30  CONFEDERATION    OK    KILKENNY. 

may  ensue  unto  our  nation ;  we,  therefore,  to  stop  the  way  of  untnith, 
and  forgeries  of  political  adversaries,  do  will  and  command  that  no 
such  rumours,  letters,  or  proclamations  may  have  place  or  belief  untU 
it  be  known  in  a  national  council,  whether  they  tnxly  proceed  from  the 
King,  left  to  his  own  freedom,  and  until  agents  of  tliig  kiugdom, 
hereafter  to  be  appointed  by  the  National  Council,  have  free  passiige  to 
liis  Majesty,  whereby  the  kingdom  may  be  certainly  informed  of  his 
Majesty's  intention  and  will. 

"  111. — We  straightly  command  all  our  inferiors,  as  well  churchmen 
as  laymen,  to  make  no  alienatimi,  comparison,  or  difference  between 
provinces,  cities,  towTis,  or  families;  and  lastly,  not  to  begin  or  foi-ward 
any  emulations  or  comparisons  whatsoever. 

"  IV That  in  every  province  of  Ireland  there  be  a  council  made 

up,  both  of  clergy  and  nobility,  in  which  council  shall  be  so  many 
persons,  at  least,  as  are  counties  in  the  province,  and  out  of  eveiy  city 
or  notable  town,  two  persons. 

"  V — Let  one  general  council  of  the  whole  kingdom  be  made, 
both  of  the  clergy,  nobility,  cities,  andnota'ile  towns,  in  which  council 
there  shall  be  three  out  of  every  province,  and  out  of  everj-  city,  one; 
or  where  cities  are  not,  out  of  the  chiefest  towns.  To  this  councU 
the  pr«vincial  councils  shall  have  subordination,  and  from  thence  to  it 
may  be  appealed,  until  this  National  Council  shall  have  opportunity  to 
Bit  together. 

"VI — Let  a  faithful  inventory  be  made,  in  everj'  province,  of  the 
murders,  burnings,  and  other  cruelties  which  are  permitted  by  the 
Puritan  enemies,  with  a  quotation  of  the  place,  day,  cause,  manner,  and 
persons,  and  other  circumstances,  nubscribed  by  one  of  public 
authority. 

"  VII.— "We  do  declare  and  jnd;?o  a31  and  every  such  as  do  forsake 
this  union,  light  for  our  enemien,  accompany  them  in  their  war,  defend 
Br  in  any  way  assist  them,  to  be  excommimicated,  and,  by  these 
presents,  do  excommunicate  them. 

"  VIII. — We  will  and  declare  all  those  that  murder,  dismember,  or 
grievously  strike,  all  thieves,  unlawful  spoilers,  robbers  of  any  goods,  to 
be  excommunicated,  and  so  to  remain  tiU  they  completely  amend 
and  satisfy,  no  less  than  if  they  were  namely  proclaimed  excom- 
municated." 

The  national  synod  did  not  break  up  till  about  the  end 
of  May,  and  long  before  that  period  the  proclamations, 
issued  by  the  prelates  and  lay -lords,  calling  on  the  people 
to  take  the  oath  of  association,  had  the  happiest  results. 
Agents  from  the  synod  crossed  over  into  France,  Spain, 
and  Italy,  to  solicit  support  and  sympathy  from  the  Ca- 
tholic princes.  Father  Luke  Wadding  was  indefatigably 
employed  collecting  monies,  and  inciting  the  Irish  of- 
ficers serving  in  the  continental  armies  to  return,  and  give 
theii'  services  to  their  own  land.  Nor  was  this  all.  The 
most  favourable  terms  were  offered  to  foreign  merchants, 
who  would  undertake  to  land  munitions  of  Avar  on  the 
Irish  shores ;  men  skilled  in  the  manufacture  of  arms  were 
invited    to    come  and  reside    amongst    the  Catholics. 


CONfEDERATIJN    OF    KILKENNY.  31 

^f)d  to  carry  on  their  trade  with  exemption  from 
taxes,  and  other  lucrative  advantages  to  themselves  and 
families.  Lord  Mountgarret  was  appointed  President  of 
the  Council,  and  the  October  following  was  jBxed  for  a 
general  assembly  of  the  whole  kingdom. 

Soon  after  the  battle  of  Kilrush,  Lord  Lisle  landed  at 
Dublin,  with  his  own  regiment  of  600  horse  carbiniers, 
and  another  of  300  dragoons.  A  portion  of  these  troops 
was  distributed  between  Drogheda  and  Dundalk,  and 
Lord  Lisle  lingered  at  Dublin  awaiting  orders  from  the 
justices.  At  this  time  Letitia,  Baroness  Ophaly, 
grand-daughter  to  Gerald,  eleventh  earl  of  Kildare,  was 
besieged  in  her  castle  of  Geashill,  in  the  King's  County, 
by  the  O'Dempsies,  under  the  command  of  Lewis,  lord 
Clanmalier.  This  heroine,  who  inherited  the  chivalrous 
spirit  of  the  Geraldines,  boldly  resisted  the  overtures 
and  menaces  of  the  besiegers,  and  finally  contri\'^d  to 
send  a  messenger  to  Sir  Charles  Coote,  then  at  Naas, 
soliciting  him  to  come  to  her  aid.  Her  request  was 
granted  ;  and  Lord  Lisle  was  appointed  to  command  the 
expedition.  He  proceeded  with  Coote  and  a  force  of  600 
men  to  Philipstown,  and  thence  to  the  residence  of  the 
baroness,  from  before  which  the  O'Dempsies  retired  on 
their  approach.  On  their  return  they  rendered  assistance 
to  Sir  John  Giffard,  at  Castlejordan,  "  and  burning  the 
country  all  the  way  as  they  marched,"*  took  the  castle 
of  Trim,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the  Lords  Fingall, 
Gormanstown,  Slane,  and  Trimbleston.  When  they  were 
about  to  retire,  they  left  nearly  500  men  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, who,  rashly  thinking  they  might  recover  the 
castle,  determined  to  attack  the  troops  commanded  by 
the  sanguinary  Coote.  Accordingly,  on  the  7th  of  May, 
about  daybreak,  they  invested  that  old  Norman  strong- 
hold, and  a  sally  was  made  by  the  garrison,  in  which  the 
be.siegers  were  repulsed  with  loss.  But,  if  they  had  no 
other  success,  they  rid  themselves  of  an  implacable 
enemy.  Coote  was  shot  dead,  and,  in  the  words  of  his 
eulogist,  "  Trim  was  the  tragic  stage  whereon  he  acted 
his  last  part."  f  His  body  was  conveyed  to  Dublin,  where 
it  was  buried,  and  as  an  acknowledgment  of  his  services, 
the  justices,  with  the  consent  of  the  Earl  of  Leicester, 

•  Carte's  Ormoncl,  131S.  t  Thorpe's  Collection— R..  D.  S. 


32 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


appointed  his  eldest    son   Provost  Marshal    of    Co»i- 
nautiht."* 

But  if  the  confederates  had  reason  to  regret  their 
losses  in  Leinstcr,  they  had  also  good  reason  to  congra- 
tulate themselves  on  the  progress  of  events  in  the  south 
and  west.  The  justices  were  cooped  up  in  Dubhn, 
importuning  the  parhament  to  send  them  supplies  of 
men  and  money.  They  could  not  carr>  on  the  war 
against  the  confederates  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  their 
expeditions  from  tlie  city  into  the  neighbouring  country 
had  more  the  character  of  border  raids  than  a  regu 
lar  warfare.  In  fact,  the  want  of  provisions  was  sorelj 
felt  in  the  city,  and  it  required  all  the  dexterity  of  Par- 
sons and  Ormond  to  repress  the  mutinous  dispositions' 
•which  were  every  day  exhibiting  themselves  amongst 
the  Puritan  soldiers. 

The  defeat  which  the  Irish  had  sustained  before  Cork 
was  soon  succeeded  by  the  capture  of  Limerick.  Early 
in  June,  Pierce  Butler,  Viscount  Skerrin,  Lord  Mus- 
kerry,  and  General  Barry,  with  a  numerous  body  of 
ill-disciplined  troops,  sat  down  before  the  city ;  the 
inhabitants  were  weary  of  tyranny,  and  longed  for 
an  opportunity  of  flinging  off  tlie  yoke.  Tiiey  opened 
their  gates  to  the  confederates,  who  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  attack  the  castle.  Courtenay,  who  commanded 
the  place,  determined  to  maintain  it  to  the  last  extre- 
mity. 

The  confederates  commenced  their  attack  by  making 
a  boom  across  the  river,  opposite  Mockbeggar-mear. 
This  boom—the  object  of  which  was  to  prevent  sTipplies 
being  thrown  into  the  castle  by  Stradling,  who  com- 
man'ded  some  of  the  parliam.ent  sliips  in  the  Shannon — 
was  composed  of  long  aspin  trees,  fastened  by  iron  links 
to  two  mill-stones  on  the  Clare  side,  and,  at  the  city,  to 
the  tower  on  the  quay.  The  fire  from  Courtenay's  guns 
delayed  the  completion  of  the  work  for  awhile  ;  but  the 
object  was  finally  gained  :  Stradling  was  unable  to  suc- 
cour Courtenay.  Muskerry  ordered  a  gun  to  be  mounted 
on  St.  Mary's  Church,  from  which  he  kept  up  an  inces- 
sant fire  on  tlie  castle ;  but  it  still  held  out.  On  the 
21st  of  June,  three  mines  were  finished,  and  ready  to 


Carte's  Oj-mond,  334. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KIIKEXNT. 

bo  Sprung.  The  order  was  giA^^en,  and  a  breach  v^as 
made  in  the  main  wall  of  the  castle.  Courteiiay  waa 
allowed  to  capitulate,  and  the  city  of  Limerick  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  confederates.  It  was  the  most  import- 
ant advantage  which  they  had  as  yet  gained,  and, 
when  we  take  into  consideration  their  want  of  can- 
non and  ammunition,  we  may  be  better  able  to  appre- 
ciate the  great  results.  Sir  William  St.  Leger,  on  hear- 
ing  the  defeat  of  Courtenay,  did  not  long  survive  the 
taking  of  Limerick.  The  news  had  a  powerful  effect  on 
his  health.  He  died  broken- hearted,  and,  if  we  except 
his  own  partisans,  no  one  mourned  the  death  of  the 
man  whose  public  career  had  been  disgraced  by  the  most 
wanton  murders,  and  rapacious  exactions.*  Nor  were 
the  justices  slow  in  appointing  a  successor  to  the  late 
lord  president.  The  man  selected  for  the  military  ad- 
ministration  of  Munster  was  Murrough  O'Brien,  Earl 
of  Inchiquin.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Dermid,  the 
fifth  of  that  princely  house  who  had  worn  an  English 
coronet.  About  the  year  1628,  ]Murrough,  son  of  Dermid, 
was  made  ward  to  P.  Fitzmaurice,  Esq.  The  proselytis- 
ing spirit  of  the  times  had  two  grand  objects,  which 
were  fully  carried  out  in  the  person  of  Murrough 
O'Brien.  The  first  was  to  denationalise  the  heart,  and 
the  second  to  engender  such  an  abhorrence  of  the  Ca- 
tholic religion,  as  was  calculated  to  inflict  the  most  un- 
mitigated atrocities  on  those  who  adhered  to  the  ancient 
creed.  An  apt  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Justices 
was  this  recreant.  His  SAvord  reeking  with  the 
blood  of  the  Munster  Catholics,  and  his  military  ex- 
perience, the  result  of  his  campaigns  Avith  the  Spanish 
army  in  Italy,  recommended  him  to' their  regards.  It  is 
sad  to  think  that  a  descendant  of  the  illustrious  house 
of  O'Brien  could  have  been  found  ready  and  willing  to 
rival  the  barbarities  of  Coote,  and  walk  in  the  blood- 
stained track  of  St.  Leger ;  biit,  alas !  such  was  tlie 
fact.  Although  the  blood  of  Brian  flowed  through  the 
veins  of  Murrough,  it  stirred  a  heart  as  savage  and  anti- 
Irish  as  that  of  the  Scandinavian,  whom  his  great  an- 
cestor vanquished  at  Clontarf.  Tradition  still  points  to 
m&ny  a  rifled  fane,  wnose  blackened  and  roofless  walls 

*  See  Feirar's  Hist,  of  Limerick. 


54  CONFEDERATION   OF   KILKENNY. 

arc  the  mournful  mementoes  of  this  Irish  Vandal, 
Round  the  peasant's  hearth,  the  record  of  his  havoc  and 
burnings  furnishes  ample  theme  for  the  storj-teller. 
When  the  storm  sweeps  over  the  ruined  shrine  of 
Cashel,  in  the  dark  drear  nights  of  winter,  and  the 
lightning  flashes  wildly  through  the  desecrated  chancel, 
the  credulous  fancy  that  Murrough  revisits  earth  to  re- 
new the  work  of  desolation.  When  mention  is  made  of 
him,  his  patronymic  is  forgotten,  and  an  epithet,  asso- 
ciating his  name  with  conflagration  and  carnage,  is  sub- 
stituted. 'Twas  a  wise  resolve  to  suppress  the  name  of 
O'Brien  whenever  men  spoke  of  this  degenerate  son  of 
that  splendid  race.  '^  Murrogh  of  the  bvrnings"  \rRs 
the  appropriate  designation,  significant  as  it  is  of  the  in- 
cendiary's torch  and  assassin's  poniard.  As  long  as 
the  history  of  his  crimes  endures,  so  long  shall  he  be 
recognised  by  this  epithet,  and  no  other. 

But  the  capture  of  Limerick  was  of  the  greatest 
utility  to  the  confederates.  With  the  cannon*  which 
tliey  had  taken  they  soon  battered  almost  every  castle 
and  stronghold  of  their  enemies  in  that  county,  with  the 
exception  of  Loghgur  and  Askeaton,  the  latter  of  which 
belonged  to  the  Earl  of  Cork.  But  though  these  trifling 
diflttculties  stood  in  the  way,  the  entire  granary  of  Mun- 
ster  was  in  possession  of  General  Barry  and  Lord  Mus- 
kerry.  Towards  the  end  of  July  the  two  generals  pre- 
pared to  march  into  the  county  Cork,  to  chastise 
Incl)iquin,  and  rescue  from  his  gripe  the  seaport  towns 
which  were  held  for  the  Parliament  by  Lord  Broghill, 
Sir  Charles  Vavasor,  Sir  John  Pawlet,  and  Sir  William 
Ogle.  Lord  Barrymore,  who  managed  the  civil  adminis- 
tration of  the  province,  was  cooped  up  in  Youghal,  and 
proceeded  to  hold  quarter-sessions,  in  which  the  chiefs  of 
the  confederates  were  proclaimed  traitors. f 

While  the  Catholic  arms  were  thus  triumphing  in  the 
i^outh,  Owen  Iloe  O'Neill  and  Preston  landed  with  officers 
and  arms — the  former  at  Doe  Castle,  in  the  north,  in  the 
Ujonth  of  July,  and  the  latter  on  the  coast  of  Wexford, 
towards  the  end  of  September-      In  the  west»  three 

*  "  One  of  the  guns,"  says  Carte  (Orm,  ,  p.  43,     was  oi  so  largo  a 
bore,  that  it  was  drawn  by  twenty-five  yoke  of  oxen.", 
t  Smith's  Cork. 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY.  35 

bishops,  Malachy  of  Tuara,  Francis  Elphin,  and  John 
De  Burke  of  Clonfert,  addressed  a  remonstrance  to  the 
Earl  of  Clanricarde,  importuning  him  to  join  tlie  na- 
tional cause,  "  wliichwas,"  in  his  opinion,  "grounded  upon 
wrong  and  bad  foundations."*   In  vain  did  Mountgarret 

•  and  the  bishops  endeavour  to  convince  him  that  he  was 
helping  to  ruin  his  country.  ' '  No  argument, "  said  they, 
"though  you  should  write  it  in  our  very  blood,  will 
ever  persuade  the  justices  your  affections  are  sincere, 
while  you  bear  about  you  those  marks  by  which  they 
distinguish  such  as  they  have  appointed  for  perdition 
Let  it  not  come  to  you  to  sprinkle  your  ancestors'  graves 
with  the  blood  of  such  as  will  sacrifice  themselves  in  the 
justifiable  cause. "f  But  they  failed  to  gain  him  over, 
and  he  adhered  to  the  Lord  President  and  young  Sir 
Charles  Coote,  who  were  spoiling  the  country  and  slay- 
ing the  people. 

But  Clanricarde's  apathy,  and  the  cruelties  inflicted 
on  the  people  by  Coote  and  Eanelagh,  only  served  to 
exasperate  the  minds  of  the  masses.  Young  Murrough 
Na  Dubh   O'Flaherty,   at   the  head  of  a  small   band, 

^seized  Clanricarde's  castle  of  Aghenure,  in  jai -Con- 
naught.  An  English  ship,  lying  in  the  Bay  of  Gal- 
way,  was  captured  by  the  discontented  populace ;  she 
had  on  board  a  considerable  supply  of  arms  and  ammu- 
nition. The  young  men  who  took  the  vessel  entered  a 
church  and  bound  themselves  by  an  oath  of  union,  in 
which  they  swore  that  they  would  bear  true  allegiance 
to  the  I\ing,  and  defend  to  the  utmost  of  their  power  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion.  They  then  closed  the  gates 
of  the  town,  and   determined   to  hold  it.     They  were 

.  urged  to  this  step  by  the  example  of  the  Catholics  who 
had  been  driven  out  of  Cork  and  Youghal,  "whose 
miserable  condition,"  said  the  mayor,  "did  put  us  in 
mind  of  what  we  were  to  expect."  A  large  body  of 
men  from  jar-Connaught  were  preparing  to  invest  the 
fortress  of  Galway,  when  Willoughby,  who  held  a  com- 
mission from  the  Parliament,  set  fire  to  all  the  houses  in 
the  east  suburb,  and  wantonly  consumed  th6  property 
in  the  neighbourhood.  Clanricarde,  with  nearly  a 
thousand  men,  hastened  to  succour  tliis  ruthless  incen« 

•  Clanricarde's  Mem.  117  t  Ibid.  17J 


35         CONFEDKRATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

diary,  giving  free  quarters  to  his  troops  from  Oranmoro 
to  Clare-Galway.  He  then  proceeded  to  besiege  tha 
town,  and  was  not  long  before  it  when  Captain  Asliley 
entered  the  bay,  in  a  ship  of  war,  and  threw  supplies 
into  the  fort.  Willoughby  thereon  determined  to  bom- 
bard the  town,  but  was  restrained  by  Clanricarde. ' 
Articles  were  draAvn  up  between  the  "  3'oung  men"  and 
the  Earl,  and  in  an  evil  moment  Galway  was  sur- 
rendered to  liis  lordship. 

But  they  soon  had  reason  to  repent  them  of  their 
haste  in  submitting  to  the  articles  proposed  by 
Clanricarde.  The  fiendish  malevolence  of  Wil- 
lougliby  and  Ashley  was  not  satisfied  with  what  they 
had  already  done.  They  were  both  violent  parlia- 
mentarians, and  cared  little  for  oath  or  fealty.  Wil- 
loughby's  soldiers  openly  robbed  the  people,  and  Avithout 
the  shadow  of  reason  executed  martial  law  upon  the 
liarmless  and  unoffending.  In  a  fit  of  puritanical 
frenzy,  he  set  fire  to  the  suburbs,  and  burned  houses 
"which  were  set  for  more  than  a  thousand  pounds 
a-year  rent."  He  killed  several  of  the  inhabitants, 
scaled  the  walls  by  night,  and  fired  his  cannon  into  the 
town  for  an  entire  day.  But  the  efiect  was  good  ; 
"for,"  says  Mr.  Ilardiman,  "it  occasioned  and  fastened 
the  general  and  successful  confederacy  which  afterwards 
ensued."* 

On  the  7th  of  August  a  squadron  of  ships,  com- 
manded by  Lord  Forbes,  entered  the  Bay  of  Galway, 
and  he  immediately  put  Iiimself  in  communication  with 
the  fort.  He  declared  against  the  late  pacification, 
and  landed  some  men  who  began  to  burn  and  pillage 
houses  on  the  coast.  Forbes,  stimulated  by  Hugh 
Peters,  took  possession  of  St.  Mary's  church,  planted 
guns  against  the  town,  and  burned  the  surrounding 
villages.  He  then  dug  up  the  graves  in  the  church- 
yard, and  burned  the  bones  and  cofiins  ;  nor  did  ho 
quit  the  bay  till  the  4th  of  September.  Yet  did  Claa-- 
ricarde  temporize  with  the  justices  in  Dublin,  and  theif 
fiendish  corsairs  on  the  seas.  But  the  hour  of  retribu- 
tion was  at   hand.      The   clergy  boldly  exhorted   the 

®  Vide  Ilardiman's  Hist,  of  Galway,  the  work  of  one  of  the  ablest  o( 
our  antiqu.iries,  wliose  fr'endship  1  have  good  reason  to  cheiish  au4 
•■ppreciatc. 


CONFKDKRATIOV    OF    KH.KUVmr.  37 

people  to  be  true  to  themselves,  and  imitate  the  example 
of  their  brethren  in  the  south.  Coercion  failed  to 
check  them ;  the  oath  of  association  was  cheerfully 
taken  by  thousands,  and  they  vowed  in  their  hearts  to 
visit,  in  the  fitting  season,  their  persecutors  with  ven- 
geance, for  all  they  had  endured. 

The  reduction  of  the  minor  castles  in  the  county 
Limerick  engaged  the  confederate  troops  during  the 
month  of  July,  and  it  was  not  till  the  20th  of  August 
that  General  Barry,  at  the  head  of  7,000  foot  and°500 
horse,  penetrated  into  the  county  Cork.  With  this 
force  Barry  sat  down  before  the  castle  of  Liscarroll, 
which  was  garrisoned  by  Sir  Philip  Percival.  The 
confederate  troops  besieged  at  the  same  time  Annagh 
and  another  castle  belonging  to  Percival.  Liscarroll 
was  declared  by  Inchiquin  to  be  the  strongest  fortress 
m  the  kingdom,  and  such  was  the  marshy  nature  of 
the  soil  around  it,  that  General  Barry  was  obli<red  to 
dismount  his  guns  in  order  to  bring  them  within  range. 
Obstinate  was  the  resistance  of  the  defenders  ;  nor  did 
the  place  surrender  to  Barry  till  he  had  worn  out  the 
garrison  after  thirteen  days'  siege. 

It  was  an  important  victory  for  the  confederates,  and 
struck  terror  to  the  heart  of  Inchiquin  and  the  Earl  of 
Cork.  The  sept  of  the  Condons  were  giving  the  con- 
federate leaders  the  most  effectual  assistance  in  another 
part  of  the  county.  Tlie  castles  of  Cloghleigh  and  Coote 
yielded  to  tlieir  bravery,  and,  ^vlien  we  remember  that 
they  were  well  garrisoned  and  supplied  with  the  light 
pieces  called  sakarets  and  falcons,  we  may  well  afford  to 
admire  tlie  valour  and  efficiency  of  men  who  had  no 
other  arms  than  pikes  and  muskets. 

But  though  it  was  necessary  that  the  Irish  should 
possess  themselves  of  these  strongholds,  we  may,  even 
now,  question  the  prudence  of  the  act;  it  had  been  bet- 
ter if  they  had  fallen  on  Incliiquin's  forces,  which  were 
distributed  in  cantonments,  nor  given  them  time  to 
muster  m  strength.  Had  this  been  the  case,  Murrough 
could  not  have  brought  an  army  into  the  field  ;  he  was 
lU  supphed  with  provisions,  and  the  time  spent  by  the 
confederates  before  Liscarroll  and  Annagh,  gave  him 
opportunity  to  collect  his  forces.  He  accordingly  took  the 
field  on  the  third  day  of  September,  with  2,000  foot  and 


38  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY 

4(K)  horse.  The  confederates,  under  Lords  Roche,  Mus- 
Iterry,  Skerrin,  Dunboyne,  and  General  Barrj,  waited 
his  advance  on  an  eminence  in  tlie  vicinity  of  Lis- 
carroU ;  Incliiquin  charged  with  impetuosity,  and  was 
badly  wounded  in  the  attack.  Kinalmeaky,  of  whose 
canine  ferocity  we  have  already  spoken,  was  killed  by 
liis  side;  but,  after  an  obstinate  resistance,  the  con- 
federates broke  and  fled.  Sir  Charles  Vavasour  and 
Inchiquin  pursued  them  to  a  neighbouring  bog,  near 
Kilbolane,  where  upwards  of  700  of  them  were  refused 
quarter,  and  slain  in  cold  blood.  The  loss  in  arras, 
colours,  and  baggage,  was  considerable.  But  Inchiquin 
dared  not  follow  up  his  victory,  and  thought  it  advisable 
to  retire,  and  secure  himself  in  Mallow.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  boasted  success  of  this  action,  Inchiquin  made 
very  few  prisoners  ;  and,  as  it  will  be  seen,  the  result  of 
the  battle  of  Liscarroll  was  nowise  important  to  the 
arms  of  the  justices.  Vavasour  succeeded  Kinalmeaky 
as  governor  of  Bandon,  whence  he  sent  detachments 
into  the  surrounding  country,  making  preys  of  cattle, 
and  wasting  the  crops.* 

In  Ulster,  the  arrival  of  Owen  Roe  O'Neill  produced 
the  most  signal  result ;  for  it  would  appear  that,  about  the 
time  of  this  event,  Sir  Phelim,  and  the  other  leaders, 
<  meditated  following  the  example  of  Hugh  O'Neill,  and 
escaping  to  the  Continent.  The  name  and  reputation  of 
Owen  changed  their  design,  and  determined  them  to 
strike  another  blow  for  their  native  land.  The  Fabiusf 
of  his  country,  as  he  is  justly  called,  convened  a  meeting 
of  tlie  leaders,  in  the  castle  of  Kinard,  and  he  was  imme- 
'  diately  declared  the  chief  of  the  Ulster  Catholics. 
Munroe,  J  at  the  head  of  10,000  men,  occupied  a  strong 
position  in  Carrickfergus,  and  contented  himself  vrith 
seizing  and  imprisoning  those  who  made  any  demonstra- 
tion in  favour  of  the  king.  The  avowed  object  of  the 
parliament  in  sending  the  Scottish  forces  into  Ulster, 
was  to  circumvent  his  majesty,  and  prevent  succours 
from  being  sent  to  him,  should  he  require  them  from  the 
northern  shores.  In  the  month  of  August,  Lord  Leven 
arrived  with  a  detachment  for  the  Scotch  general,  and 
addressed  a  letter  to  O'Neill,  in  which  he  expressed  his 

•  Cox,  V.  2,  p.  113.  t  Smith's  ffistorv  of  Cork. 

I  Carte's  Ormoud . 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY.         S9 

aatonishment  "that  one  of  his  rank  and  reputation 
ebould  have  come  to  Ireland  to  support  so  bad  a  cause." 
O'Neill's  answer  Avas  bold,  and  worthy  of  him  : — "I  have 
a  better  right,  my  lord,"  he  replied,  "  to  defend  my 
own  country,  than  your  lordship  has  to  march  into 
Englaiid  against  your  king."* 

Leven  returned  to  Scotland,  after  having  assured 
Munroe  that  if  Owen  Roe  succeeded  in  getting  an  army 
together,  he  would  be  defeated.  O'Neill,  undaunted  by 
the  imposing  force  of  Scotch  and  English,  began  to 
animate  his  followers,  who  hailed  his  advent  as  the  pres- 
tige of  success.  He  set  about  fortifying  Charlemont 
against  any  sudden  attack,  nor  did  Munroe  dare  to 
molest  him  ;  not  a  moment  did  he  lose  in  gathering 
tr^gether  those  men  who  longed  to  be  led  by  so  gallant 
a  chieftain,  and  the  month  of  September  passed  over  in 
disciplining  and  organising  the  forces  which  hitherto  had 
little  appearance  of  a  military  footing. 

Ths  justices  beheld  Avith  alarm  these  important  oc- 
currences. In  their  addresses  to  their  colleagues  in 
England,  they  set  forth  that  their  condition  was  ruinous. 
Like  superstitious  heathens,  they  trembled  at  everything 
that  appeared  ominous.  "Crows,  seagulls,  and  ravens, 
pcAvling  and  croaking  over  the  castle  towers,  portended 
disasters  Avhich  they  could  not  divine,  "f 

But,  in  fact,  the  much-dreaded  event  was  the  general 
assembly  of  the  Avhole  kingdom,  the  time  for  which  was 
near  at  hand.  The  retrospective  vieAV  we  have  taken  of 
these  events  was  absolutely  necessary,  for  the  better  un- 
derstanding of  those  which  folloAA'ed  in  rapid  succession. 
We  noAv  return  to  the  moment  at  Avhich  Ave  set  out — the 
day  before  that  fixed  for  the  general  assembly.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  Lord  CastlehaA'en,  and  others 
escaped  from  prison,  J  and  having  arrived  at  the  place  of 
rendezvous,  took  the  oath  and  Avere  enrolled  amongst 
the  confederates ;  nor  did  the  city  of  Kilkenny  at  any 
time  previous  Avitness  such  excitement  and  enthusiasm 
as  on  the  23rd  of  October,  1642.  One  Avho  Avas  a 
spectator  of  that  scene,  Avhich  we  would  fain  recal, 
has  left  us  a  pithy  account  of  it.     He  tells  us  that 

»  Einun    ini.  +  Thorpe  Papers,  R.  D.  S. 

t "  From  Shepes-  street,  Dublin,  thro'  Templeoage  and  over  "Wick 
frr  mountains." — F/c/e  Castlehaven  s  Metuoii-a. 


40  CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKEKKT 

311  his  arrival  "he  found  every  one  actively  engaged 
preparing  for  war."*  Nor  does  it  require  any  great 
,y)wer  of  imagination  to  conjure  up  the  figure  and 
irashion  of  those  who  were  then  assembling.  The  Celt 
had  not  as  yet  generally  adopted  the  English  tongue  and 
English  garb ;  hence,  it  was  easy  to  distinguish  the 
chieftains  of  the  north  and  south  from  their  brethren 
of  the  Pale.  The  triiis  barraid,  flowing  mantle, 
and  colun,  were  still  retained  by  the  Celtic  chiefs; 
while  those  of  the  Pale,  rigidly  conforming  to  English 
mannerism,  adopted  the  broad  black  cloth,  and  the 
prevailing  fashions  of  the  English  court. f  In  groups 
through  the  busy  streets  might  be  seen  men,  whose 
dusky  aspects  and  foreign  costume,  pronounced  them 
cavaliers  of  another  clime, — ^but  they  were  the  Irish 
officers  who  had  accompanied  O'Neill  and  Preston  from 
the  Continent. 

What  a  scene  for  recollection!  Prelates  and 
priests  were  there,  who,  educated  beyond  the  seas, 
brought  home  with  them  a  knowledge  of  those  languages 
which  Dante  and  Calderon  have  immortalised,  and  yet 
were  ignorant  of  the  English  tongue ; — men  who  spoke 
the  language  of  Spenser  side  by  side  with  the  O'Neills 
from  the  north  and  the  Macarthys  from  the  south. 
Happily,  however,  the  language  of  the  western  church 
was  understood  by  them  all.  But  in  such  angry  times 
it  were  needless  to  dwell  upon  the  marks  by  which  the 
two  races  might  be  known,  if  one  were  not  anxious  to 
bring  vividly  before  the  mind  of  the  reader  every 
feature  and  peculiarity  of  those  who  have  invested  the 
churches,  cloisters,  council  chambers,  arid  towers  of  that 
venerable  city  with  such  an  intense  degree  of  interest. 
And  surely  even  the  earlier  period  of  its  history,  when 

"Phenecian,  and  Milesian,  and  the  plundering  Norman  Peera" 
ascended  the  sacred  hill  of  St.  Canice,  presents  no  re- 
miniscence so  agreeable  as  that  when  the  lords  and 
gentry  of  the  Pale  came  to  sit  in  council  with  the  chief- 
tains and  representatives  of  the  Celtic  tribes.  Memory 
will  ever  love  to  dwell  on  that  extraordinary  conjunction, 
ill-starred  though  it  may  have  been,  or  otherwise  : — 

•  Castleliavens  Jlem. 

t  Vide  Walker  s  Letter  on  the  dress  of  the  Irish  of  the  Pale  aad  Ul 
Celtic  Tribes. 


COXFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  41 

around  that  old  city  there  is  an  atmosphere  of  hallowed 
antiquity ; — through  the  vista  of  ages  the  forms  of 
Donald  O'Brien  and  Strongbow  are  still  visible,  though 
dimmed  and  obscured  by  time.  Not  so,  however,  with 
tliese  of  whom  we  treat:  they  are  visions  palpably 
before  us,  and  it  is  time  that  we  follow  them  to  the 
place  of  assembly. 

It  is  the  24th  of  October,  and  within  the  walls  of 
Kilkenny  are  assembled  eleven  spiritual  peers,  fourteen 
temporal,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  commoners, 
to  keep  watch  and  ward  over  the  nascent  liberties  of 
their  native  land. 


CHAPTER    II. 

When  the  Catholic  deputies  were  assembling  in  Kil- 
kenny, to  establish  the  federative  government,  and 
adopt  these  administrative  measures  of  which  we  are 
now  to  treat,  the  war  had  broken  out  in  England  be- 
tween the  king  and  the  parliament.  Essex  had  the 
command  of  the  rebel  army,  and  Charles  the  First, 
summoning  around  him  such  of  tlie  nobles  as  yet  stood 
firm  in  their  allegiance,  raised  his  standard  at  Not- 
tingham, and  called  on  his  subjects  to  "  give  to  Caesar 
his  due."* 

Those  who  Avere  up  in  arms  against  their  monarch,  were 
in  close  communication  with  the  Lords  Justices.  They 
understood  each  other  well,  and  they  mutually  vowed 
to  turn  all  their  strength  on  the  Irish  Catholics  when 
they  had  accomplished  their  designs  in  England.  It 
is  hardly  necessary  to  observe  that  the  confederates 
were  well  aware  that  in  the  din  of  arms,  and  thfe 
confusion  consequent  on  the  collision  between  the  king 
and  the  parliament,  they  could  hope  for  no  ameliora- 
tion of  their  condition,  or  concession  of  the  "graces," 
which  had  been  so  dearly  purchased,  and  so  long  with- 
held.  To  submit  to  the  dictates  of  Parsons  and  Borlase, 
was  to  sacrifice  life  and  liberty,  and  nothing  now 
remained  for  them  but  to  take  the  government  into 
their  own  hands,  and  save  themselves  and  the  couatry 
•  Lingard.  vol.  x. 


42 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 


from  the  machinations  of  the  Puritans.  It  was  a  wise 
and  bold  resolve,  and  promptly  was  it  carried  into 
execution.  War  with  the  justices  was  inevitable ;  the 
Nore  now  flowed  between  them  and  the  Lords  of  the  Pale, 
and  the  latter  were  fully  convinced  that  if  they  would 
ever  cross  it  to  repossess  themselves  of  their  estates, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  do  so,  not  as  suppliants  for 
exemptions,  but  as  bold  men  bent  on  maintaining  their 
own  inalienable  rights,  and  the  lawful  prerogatives  of 
the  crown. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  confederates  on  this  im- 
portant occasion,  is  said  to  have  been  held  in  the 
house*  of  Sir  Robert  Shea,  in  the  Market-place  of 
Kilkenny.  The  great  oaken  floors,  and  massive 
solidity  of  the  walls,  still  attest  the  opulence  of  the 
family  who  then  possessed  the  mansion.  Bellingf  in- 
forms us  that  the  estates,  spiritual  and  temporal,  sat 
in  the  same  hall,  and  that  a  tier  of  benches,  raised  one 
above  the  other,  was  deemed  necessary  in  order  to  give 
accommodation  to  the  lords  and  commons.  An  upper 
or  private  room  was  appropriated  to  the  lords  for  con- 
sultation ;  and  the  clergy  who  were  not  qualified  by 
their  sees  or  abbacies  to  sit  in  the  house  of  lords,  met 
in  an  adjoining  house,  which  was  called  the  "  house  of 
convocation."  Mr.  Patrick  D'Arcy.J  "bare-headed, 
and  seated  on  a  stool,  represented  all,  or  some  of  the 
judges  and  masters  of  chancery,  that  used  to  sit  in 
parliament  upon  the  woolsack;"  and  Mr.  Nicholas 
Plunket  represented  the  speaker  of  the  house  of 
commons:  to  him  both  lords  and  commons  addressed 
their  speeches.  Thomas  O'Quirke,  §  a  Dominican  friar  of 
the  convent  of  Tralee,  a  man  of  eloquence  and  learning, 
was  appointed  preacher  and  chaplain  in  ordinary  to 
both  houses.  The  assembly  had  all  the  appearance  ol 
parliament,    although    the   first  act   of    the   lay-lords, 

•  A  part  of  this  notable  building  is  now  occupied  by  a  coachmaker, 
and  up  to  a  very  recent  period  the  chair,  said  to  have  been  used  by 
the  speaker,  was  preserved,  till  broken  up  by  the  owner,  who  wished 
to  be  rid  of  the  importunities  of  visitors.  Surely  the  authorities  of 
Kilkenny  ought  to  look  after  the  venerable  residence  of  the  Koth 
family,  nearly  opposite,  and  if  they  do  not,  their  city  must  soon 
lose  one  of  its  most  venerable  mansions  and  greatest  attractions. 
tNan-ative  of  the  War,  Ap.  Desid.  Curiosa.  liih. 

1  Carte's  Orm.  Heynus.  cited  in  the  Ilib.  Lorn. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  43 

prelates,  and  commons  was,  to  declare  they  did  not 
intend  it  as  sucli,  fearing  to  infringe  on  the  prerogative 
of  the  crown,  to  which  belonged  the  privilege  of 
calling,  proroguing,  and  dissolving  the  senate.  It  was, 
however,  a  provisional  government  "to  consult  of  an 
order  for  their  own  affairs,  till  his  Majesty's  wisdom 
had  settled  the  present  troubles."* 

The  interval  between  the  first  day  of  meeting  and  the 
end  of  October  was  occupied  in  making  these  pre- 
liminary arrangements  and  administering  the  oath  of 
association  to  such  as  had  not  yet  taken  it.  On  the 
1st  of  November  a  committee  was  appointed,  by  the 
estates  spiritual  and  tempoi-al,  to  draw  up  a  form  of 
the  confederate  government.  The  committee  was 
composed,  amongst  others,  of  Lords  Castleliaven  and 
GormanstoAvn,  and  the  lawyers,  the  chief  of  whom  were 
Patrick  D'Arcy,  Sir  Plielim  O'Neill,  and  Richard 
Belling.  On  the  fourth  of  the  month  the  two  houses 
formally  approved  the  acts  of  the  committee,  and  on 
the  same  day  the  prelates  issued  a  mandate  to 
their  clergy  throughout  Ireland,  charging  tiiem  to 
administer  the  oath  of  association  to  their  respective 
flocks,  and  pay  due  obedience  to  the  new  government, 
the  spirit  of  which  may  be  easily  found  in  the  following 
extracts : — 

'^  Magna  Charta  and  the  common  and  statute  laws  of  England, 
in  all  points  not  contrary  to  the  lloman  Catholic  religion,  or  incon- 
sistent with  the  liberty  of  Ireland,  were  acknowledged  as  the  hasis  of 
the  new  government. 

"  They  resolved  that  each  county  should  have  its  council,  consisting 
of  one  or  tvvo  deputies  out  of  each  barony,  and  where  there  was  np 
barony,  of  twelve  persons  elected  by  the  countj'  in  general,  •with 
powers  to  adjudicate  on  all  matters  cognizable  by  justices  of  the  peace, 
pleas  of  the  ci-own,  suits  for  debts,  and  personal  actions,  and  to  restore 
possessions  usurped  since  the  war  ;  to  name  all  the  county  officers, 
saving  the  high  sheriff,  who  was  to  be  elected  by  tlie  supreme 
council,  out  of  three  whom  the  council  of  the  county  were  to  recom- 
mend. From  these  there  was  an  appeal  to  the  provincial  councils, 
which  were  to  consist  of  two  deputies  out  of  each  county,  and  were 
to  meet  four  times  a  year,  or  oftener,  if  there  was  occasion,  to  examine 
the  decisions  of  the  county  councils,  to  decide  all  suits  like  judges  of 
assize,  to  establish  recent  possessions,  but  uQt  to  interfere  with  otner 
suits  about  lands  except  in  cases  of  dower.f 

"From  these  there  lay  a  furtber  appeal  to  the  supreme  council  of 
tTireHt>--four  persons  who  were  to  be  elected  by  the  general  assembly, 
of   which  twehe  were  to  be  constantly  resident  in  Kilkenny,   jr 

•  Carte's  Orm.  +  Cai-te's  Orm. 


14  CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

wherever  else  they  should  judse  it  to  be  most  expedient,  with  equal 
voices,  hut  two-thirds  to  conclude  the  rest  ;  never  fewer  than  nine  to 
Bit  in  council,  and  seven  to  concur  in  the  same  opinion  :  out  of  these 
twenty-four  a  president  was  to  be  named  by  the  assembly,  and  waa 
to  be  always  one  of  the  twelve  resident,  and  in  case  of  death  or  any 
other  serious  impediment,  the  other  residents  out  of  twenty-four 
were  to  select  a  president. " 

It  was  also  enacted—"  That  the  council  should  be  vested  with 
power  over  all  {generals,  military  officers,  and  civil  magistrates,  who 
were  to  obey  their  orders,  and  send  an  account  duly  of  their  actions 
and  proceedings  ;  to  determine  all  matters  left  undecided  by  the 
general  assembly,  'i'heir  acts  to  be  of  force  till  rescinded  by  tlie 
next  assembly  ;  to  command  and  punish  all  commanders  of  forces, 
magistrates,  and  all  others  of  what  rank  and  condition  soever  ;  to 
hear  and  judge  all  capital  and  criminal  causes  (saving  titles  to  lands), 
and  to  do  all  kinds  of  acts  for  promoting  the  common  cause  of  the 
confederacy  and  the  good  of  the  kingdom,  and  relating  to  the  support 
and  management  of  the  war.* 

"And  as  the  administrative  authority  was  to  be  vested  in  the 
supreme  council,  it  was  decreed  that  at  the  end  of  every  general 
assembly,  the  supreme  council  should  be  confirmed  or  changed,  a? 
the  general  body  thought  fit." 

Ten  days  after  these  enactments  had  been  sanctioned 
by  the  general  assembly  of  the  confederate  Catliolics, 
they  proceeded  to  elect  the  supreme  council,  when 
Lord  ;Mountgarret  was  chosen  president.  Six  were 
selected  out  of  each  province,  and  after  the  necessary 
forms  liad  been  gone  through,  the  following  were  de- 
clared duly  elected : — 

For  Leinster — The  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  Lord  Viscount  Gormans- 
town,  Lord  Viscount  Mountgarret,  Nicholas  Plunket,  Uiehard  Belling, 
James  Cusack.  Ulster  — Archbishop  of  Armagh, liishop  of  Down,  Philip 
OKeilly,  Col.  Mac  Jfahon,  Heber  Magennis,  Tirlogh  O'X'eill.  For 
Munster — Lord  Viscount  l^oche.  Sir  Daniel  O'Brien,  Edmund  Fitz- 
morris.  Dr.  Fennell.  Robert  Lambert,  George  Comyn.  For  Con- 
naught — Archbishop  of  Tuam,  Lord  Viscount  Mayo,  Bishop  of 
Clonfert,  Sir  Lucas  Dillon,  Geoffi-ey  Brown,  and  Patrick  D'Arcy. 

On  these  rested  the  great  national  responsibility,  nor 
rere  they  slow  in  taking  such  measures  as  they  deemed 
necessary  for  the  welfare  of  the  kingdom.  Their  first 
act  was  to  name  the  generals  who  were  to  command 
under  their  authority.  Owen  Roe  Mac- Art  O'Neill  was 
.tppointed  to  command  in  chief  all  the  Ulster  forces. 
Thomas  Preston,  those  of  Leinster.  Barry  was  named 
commander-in-cliief  in  Munster,  and  John  Burke  was 
to  be  lieutenant-general  in  Connaught,  reserving  the 
c'mef  command  to  Clanricarde,  who,  it  was  thought, 
would  sooner  or  later  declare  for  the  confederation. 
But  as  no  act  or  instrument  emanating  from  the 
*  Cox,  Carte's  Orm. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  43 

Bupreme  council  could  be  of  force,  unless  sealed  vrith 
their  own  seal,  they  caused  one  to  be  made  which  may 
be  thus  described  N—'Twas  circular,  and  in  its  centre 
was  a  large  cross,  the  base  of  which  rested  on  a  flaming 
heart,  while  its  apex  was  overlapped  by  the  wings  of  a 
dove :  on  the  left  of'  the  cross  was  the  harp,  and  on  the 
right  the  crown.  The  legend  was  at  once  happy,  novel, 
and  classic—"  Pro  Deo,  liege,-  et  Patria,  Hiberni  Uuaui- 
mes."* 

One  of  the  first  acts  under  the  great  seal  of  the 
confederacy,  was  an  order  to  raise  thirty  thousand 
pounds  sterling  in  Leinster,  and  a  levy  of  thirty-one 
thousand  seven  hundred  men  in  the  same  province. 
This  force  was  to  be  drilled  and  disciplined  by  the 
officers  wlio  had  accompanied  Preston,  with  the  least 
possible  delay.  The  majority  of  the  new  levies  was 
to  garrison  such  places  as  tlie  confederates  possessed  in 
Leinster,  and  the  remainder  was  to  be  ready  to  take 
the  field  as  soon  as  circumstances  might  require.  Mr. 
Nicholas  Plunket  was  appointed  Muster-master-general, 
and  any  locality  refusing  to  contribute  its  due  proportion 
of  men  capable  of  bearing  arms,  Avas  to  be  punished  by 
11  system  of  "free  quarters." 

A  mint  was  ordered  to  be  established  at  Kilkenny, 
and  those  who  were  wealthy,  and  heart  and  soul  in  tlie 
cause  of  their  country,  made  large  contributions  of  plate 
to  the  National  Treasury;  in  a  very  short  time  four 
thousand  pounds  sterling,  in  half-crown  pieces,  "of  tlie 
value  and  goodness  of  English  money"  was  coined. 
The  total  absence  of  embellishment  or  legend  on  the 
silver  coin,  is  evidence  of  the  haste  in  which  it  was 
struck,  for  the  half  crown  piece  bears  no  mark  save 
that  of  the  cross,  and  the  figures  indicating  its  value. 
Tlie  copper  subsequently  produced  and  circulated,  is 
far  more  elaborate,  and  the  legend  "Ecce  Grex," 
"Floreat  Kex,"  together  with  the  beautiful  device, 
must  be  convincing  proofs  of  a  more  prosperous  moment 
in  the  afiairs  of  the  confederates.<f  Along  with  the 
mint  the  Supreme  Council  caused  a  press  to  be  set  up 
in   order  to    publish    their    acts,    proclamations,    and 

•  Harold  in  Vit.  Luc.  Wadding.     This  motto  is  most  incorrecfi/ 
given  in  tiic  4th  vol.  of  Moore's  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  l'4y. 
t  Vide  i)imons's  Essay  on  Irish  Coins. 


46  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

manifbstoes;  nor  were  they  insensible  to  the  great 
dearth  of  corn  caused  by  the  pillages  and  burnings 
•vrliich  had  marred  the  labours  of  the  husbandman 
since  the  rising  of  1641. 

Anticipating  that  all  the  sea-port  towns  should  soon 
come  into  their  possession,  they  ordained  "  that  the  duty 
should  be  taken  oflf  wheat  and  corn  imported  from  fo- 
^  reign  countries, "  till  such  time  as  the  exigencies  which 
/  then  distressed  them  should  be  removed  or  alleviated. 
I   The  same  exemption  was  made  to  extend  to  such  neces- 
Isaries  as  "lead,   iron,  arms,    and  ammunition."     At- 
tracted  by  such  advantages,  which  were  calculated  to 
create  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  a  Dutch  captain*  had  al- 
ready landed  a  considerable  supply  of  powder  on  the 
coast  of  "Wexford.     With  the  same  object  in  view,  they 
offered  ''the  liberties  and  privileges  of  free  denizens  to 
all  ship-builders  and  mariners  that  would  settle  them- 
selves in  the  kingdom." 

They  decreed,  moreover,  that  the  bishops  and  clergy 
should  pay  a  certain  sum  out  of  the  ecclesiastical  reve- 
nues then  in  their  possession,  as  well  as  out  of  the  other 
V  benefices  and  church  lands  which  might  revert  to  their 
rightful  inheritors  during  the  progress  of  the  war.    But, 
/»as  the  means  for  prosecuting  the  struggle  for  nationality 
I  were  precarious,  notwithstanding  the  legislative  enact- 
l  ments  to  procure  them,  they  resolved  to  send  agents  to 
I  the  Catholic  courts  to  supplicate  aid  and  succour  for  a 
y  people  who  had  arisen  to  bjeat  down  the  strong  arm  o! 
English  despotism,  and  free  their  native  land. 

Father  L.  Waddingf  was  named  the  agent  of  the  Con- 
federates at  the  Papal  court.  Who  could  take  such  a 
serious  interest  in  their  cause  as  the  annalist  ?  His  all- 
absorbing  studies  seem  to  have  been  forgotten  for  a  time, 
and  the  mighty  pen  Avhich  he  devoted  to  record  the  fame 
and  glories  of  his  order,  was  now  employed  in  drawing 
up  memorials  to  the  Catliolic  courts,  and  supplicating 
them  to  look  benignly  on  his  suffering  and  struggling 
country.  Nor  were  his  appeals  unheeded.  A  sum  of 
"^  26,000  dollars  was  placed  at  his  disposal,  and  he  sent  it 


•  Captain  Antonio  Vandezepen.— F/rfe  Cox. 

t  iMagee's  Writers  of  tlie  Seventeenth  Century.    See  also  Hurold, 
Is  vit  Luc«  "Wadding. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  47 

by  a  ccnfldential  agent  to  the  National  Treasury.  *  Two 
thousand  muskets  were  landed  about  this  time  on  tlie 
Wexford  coast,  and  although  most  persons  were  inclined 

V  to  ascribe  this  welcome  gift  to  Pope  Urban,  it  is  quite 
certain  that  the  merit  of  the  work  must  be  given  to 
Father  Wadding.  The  agent  sent  to  the  court  of  Spain 
was  Father  James  Talbot,  an  Augustine  friar.     He  soon 

^^  collected  a  sum  of  20,000  dollars  in  that  land  of  chivalry  ; 
and  having  visited  the  French  court,  he  succeeded  in  pro- 
curing an  additional  sum,  together  with  "two    great 
iron  guns,  casting  balls  of  twenty -four  pounds  weight."* 
Nor  were  these  acts  of  the  confederate  Catholics  done 
in  private,  as  if  dreading  the  light  of  day ;  on  the  con- 
trary, in  the  face  of  heaven  and  earth,  they  proclaimed 
by  a  manifesto,  which  was  published  at  Kilkenny,  "that 
ithe   Catholics   of  Ireland,   driven  by  the   perfidy  and 
I  cruelty  of  the  rebel  Puritans,  had  arisen  and  taken  arms 
Vfor  their  religion,  king,  and  country."     The  enemy  they 
had  to  combat  was  in  each  of  the  four  provinces,  and 
they  made  no  secret  of  their  determination  to  expel  him, 
if  God  so  decreed  ;  but  in  mentioning  the  fact,  we  may 
be  permitted  to  question  the  prudence  of  that  arrange- 
ment of  the  supreme  council  which  committed  the  con- 
k  duct  of  the  war  to  four  generals  quite  independent  of 
each  other.     While  the  temporal  peers  were  enacting 
these  measures,  the  prelates  were  actively  engaged  send- 
ing instructions  to  their  respective  diocesses,  rousing  the 
torpid  and  chiding  such  as  thought  that  there  was  no 
'^  hope  for  their  country.     The  lay  lords  did  not  hesitate 
to  pronounce  the  severest  penalties  on  those  who  refused 
to  rally  round  the  confederate  banners.     Nor  did  the 
bishops  fear  to  declare  such  as  did  not  take  the  oath, 
traitors  to  their  God,  king,  and  country.     Excommuni- 
cation was  decreed  against  all  neutrals  and  such  as  as- 
sisted the  common  enemy ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  the 
severest  penalties  of  the  church  were  to  be  inflicted  on 
all  those  who  made  distinctions  between  the  modern  and 
/    ancient  Irish,  or  wantonly  committed  murder,  yiillage, 

V  or  any  act  which  was  incompatible  with  the  holiness  oif 
the  object  for  which  the  Irish  of  the  Pale  and  iho  old 

•  Belllns 


4B  CONFEDERATION    OF   KILKENITT* 

Celtic  tribes  were  soon  to  commingle  their  life-blood  on 
the  fair  field  of  battle. 

Maligned  and  misrepresented  as  they  were  by  the 
parliamentarian  despatches,  and  the  gross  calumnies 
of  the  justices,  the  few  extracts  which  have  been 
given  must  ennoble  and  exalt  that  Convention  in  the 
eyes  of  every  impartial  man.  How  strangely  do  they 
contrast  with  the  bigoted  and  ensanguined  edicts  of 
their  enemies  ?  "  Reilly,  a  prime  popish  priest,"  wrote 
some  accredited  scribe  at  this  period,  to  the  disaffected 
in  England,  ''like  his  father  the  devil,  compasses  the 
earth,  far  and  near,  to  draw  into  their  conspiracy  such 
as  had  not  before  been  therewitK  acquainted."*  This  foul 
aspersion  is  an  evidence  of  that  lynx-eyed  malice  with 
which  the  assembly  was  watched,  and  the  ardour  and 
devotion  with  which  the  prelates  laboured  to  enlist  their 
people  in  the  confederacy.  In  the  annals  of  any  other 
country  it  would  be  hard  to  find  a  convention  more  pure 
and  patriotic,  and  certainly  the  history  of  the  Irish 
Catholics  presents  no  more  agreeable  reminiscence  than 
that  which  is  associated  with  the  general  assembly  of 
October  1642. 
/  Under  the  shadow  of  that  old  Cathedral,  where 
/  Clarence's  parliament  had  assembled  to  sow  the  seeds  of 
^  division  between  the  two  races,  the  Norman  robbers 
and  the  plundered  Irish,  the  representatives  of  both 
parties  were  banded  together  by  a  holy  league,  ap- 
proved by  God,  and  deplored  by  those  who  would  keep 
alive  that  demon  spirit  of  hate  and  dissension  wliich 
had  fertilized  the  soil  with  torrents  of  rival  blood.  Oh  I 
that  these  jealousies  and  heart-rending  distinctions  of 
caste  had  never  been.  But  at  the  period  of  which  we 
are  writing  they  were  forgotten,  and  merged  in  oblivion. 
Two  grand  objects  were  to  be  accomplished :  for  these 
life  and  property,  and  all  that  endears  both,  were  to  be 
set  at  nought,  and  they  had  sworn  never  to  lay  down 
their  arms  till  "  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  was 
restored  to  its  full  splendour,  as  it  was  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VII.,  and  all  the  penal  and  restrictive  laws 
were  annulled."  As  a  corollary  to  the  foregoing  con- 
ditions it  was  to  be  insisted  on — 

•  Thorpe  Papers.  R.  D.  8. 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY.         25 

Mountgarret,  designing  to  intercept  Ormond  on  his 
return  to  Dublin,  took  up  a  position  at  the  bridge  of 
Mageny,  four  miles  from  Athy.  He  had  about  8,000  men, 
badly  armed,  and  far  from  being  disciplined  or  provided 
with  cannon.  These  troops  had  but  three  or  four  com- 
panies of  horse,  and  were  nowise  formidable,  save  in 
number.  They  were  commanded  by  Mountgarret, 
Lords  Skerrin  and  Dunboyne,  Eoger  O'Moore,  Hugh 
Byrne,  and  Sir  Morgan  Cavanagh.  Orn  ChvA  did  not 
move  from  Athy  until  the  15th,  and,  much  against  his 
inclination,  found  that  it  was  necessary  to  attack  the 
/virish.  Three  miles  further  on,  was  a  very  narrow  defile- 
through  v/hich  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  Ormond 
should  march.  Mountgarret's  men,  being  unencumbered 
with  baggage,  rapidly  advanced  to  seize  the  pass :  but 
a  rising  ground  concealed  from  his  view  a  corresponding 
movement  of  the  English  forces  ;  he  was  mortified  at 
finding  himself  outmarched,  and  was  obliged  to  halt; 
he  then  took  up  a  position  on  a  neighbouring  height. 
Some  ditches  in  his  front  gave  him  a  considerable  ad- 
vantage over  Ormond,  who  ordered  Coote  to  advance 
•^d  dislodge  his  enemy.  A  well-aimed  volley  from  the 
Irish,  staggered  the  advancing  column.  For  awhile 
they  seemed  sure  of  .success,  till  they  saw  Lucas  and 
Grenville  on  their  left,  with  Ormond's  cavalry.  An 
opening  in  a  hedge,  which  had  not  been  noticed  by 
Lord  Mountgarret,  gave  access  to  Ormond's  horse.  The 
Irish,  thus  taken  by  surprise,  did  not  long  resist  the 
cavalry  ;  but  broke  and  fled  to  the  bog  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill.  Mountgarret,  who  commanded  on  the  right,  still 
maintained  his  ground.  Against  him,  Ormond  and  Sir 
John  Sherlock  now  led  the  main  body,  which  was  not 
yet  engaged.  As  they  ascended  they  were  met  with 
spirit,  volley  after  volley  sAvept  their  ranks;  but,  as 
the  two  lines  in  front  of  each  other  were  about  to 
"  cross  their  pikes,"  Mountgarret's  men  Hod,  nor  stopped 
till  they  jo' ned  their  companions  who  had  taken  refuge 
in  the  bog. 

In  this  fatal  action,  since  known  as  the  battle  of  Kil- 
rush,  the  Irish  are  said  to  have  lost  700  men,  and  some 
of  their  most  distinguished  leaders.  Mountgarret  and 
Lord  Skerrin  fled  that  night  to  Tullogh ;  Roger  O'Moore 
and  his  brother  Lisagh,  to  his  own  house  "near  the 


2G         CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

Boyne  ;"  and  the  O'Byrne  of  Wicklow  to  the  fastnesses 
of  Glangaran.  Orniond,  even  after  this  signal  victory, 
was  in  no  mood  to  follow  it  up  ;  it  was  quite  enough  for 
him  that  he  forced  his  way  to  Dublin,  where  lie  "was 
Boon  after  congratulated  by  a  message  from  the  parlia- 
ment extolling  his  braver}',  and  lauding  his  untiring 
zeal  in  pillaging,  murdering,  and  burning  the  crops. 

Yet  the  heart  of  Ireland  Avas  only  humbled  by  this 
disaster — it  was  not  crushed ;  new  energy  and  a  bolder 
spirit  were  soon  to  be  infused.  Those  who  listened  to 
the  recital  of  that  failure,  did  not  despair.  The  tree  of 
hope,  which  they  beheld  prospectively  blossoming  and 
laden  with  fruit,  was  but  a  sapling ;  the  storm  had 
only  bowed  it  as  it  swept  by ;  and  those  who,  to  escape 
the  hurricane,  had  retired  for  awhile,  were  soon  to  rally 
round  it  and  guard  it  more  faithfully.  But  after  the 
battle  of  Kilrush,  one  bright  name*  disappears:  the  last 
time  the  inspiriting  war-shout  of  his  followers  fell  on  his 
ear  was  on  that  hill  side.  What  reasons  there  may 
have  been  for  the  retirement  of  the  gallant  chief,  whose 
name  was  linked  with  that  of  "God  and  our  Lady,"  are 
not  apparent ;  but  it  is  said  upon  authority  that  he  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Fews,  "and  devoted  the  rest  of  his  days  to 
peaceful  pursuits  in  the  bosom  of  his  family."f 

During  these  transactions  in  Ireland,  King  Charles  I. 
was  actively  engaged  with  his  English  subjects.  It  was 
quite  impossible  that  he  could  pay  much  attention  to  Irish 
affairs,  busied  as  he  was  with  the  factions  who  were 
already  meditating  the  ruin  of  his  crown.  The  two  houses 
had  voted  a  levy  of  10,000  men,  in  opposition  to  the 
king,  who  intended  to  levy  war  against  the  parliament. 
The  royal  arsenal  at  Hull  had  been  forcibly  seized  by 
the  parliamentarian  party,  and  the  arms  removed  to  the 
Tower.  A  forced  loan,  at  eight  per  cent.,  paid  in 
money  and  plate,  replenished  the  treasury.  The  Earl 
of  Warwick  took  the  command  of  the  fleet ;  and  the 
Earl  of  Essex  was  appointed  lord  general,  with  a 
solemn  promise  from  both  Lords  and  Commons  that 
they  would  live  and  die  with  him  in  the  national 
quarreL 

•  Roger  O'JToore.     Carte  says  he  died  at  Kilkenny, 
t  V.  the  map  of  Ulster  in  the  admirable  History  of  the  Conflaca 
tion,  by  Mac  Isevin. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  *9 

"That  all  primates,  archhishops,  bishops,  ordinaries,  cleans,  and 
chapters,  archdeacons,  chancellors,  vicars,  and  otiier  pastors  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  secular  clergy  and  their  respective  successors, 
Bhall  have,  hold,  and  enjoy  all  the  ctiurchis  and  church  liN-inss,  in  as 
large  and  ample  manner  as  the  late  Protestant  clergj'  respectively- 
enjoyed  the  same  on  the  1st  day  of  October,  together  with  all  the 
profits,  emoluments,  perquisites,  liberties,  and  their  rights  to  their 
respective  sees  and  churches  belonging.^as  well  in  all  places  then  in 
possession  of  the  confederated  Catholics,  as  aV-^o  in  all  other  places  that 
shall  be  recovered  by  them  from  the  ac*'.  f?.  party,  saving  to  the 
Roman  Catholic  laity,  their  respective  riglits  according  to  the  laws 
of  the  land."  * 

It  is  needless  to  dwell  at  any  length  on  the  altered 
circumstances  of  the  Irish  Catholics  at  this  moment. 
We  have  seen  that  judicatories  for  the  administration  o(    » 
justice  were  established  throughout  tbo  land,  and  that    \ 
officers  were  appointed  to  the  various  aepartments.     A    J 
mint  and  a  press  were  the  creation  of  a  moment.     En- 
Toys  or  ambassadors  were  sent  to  the  foreign  courts,  and 
their  credentials  weFe  recognised  by  Philip  IV.  of  Spain, 
Urban  Viii.,  and  Anne  of  Austria,  during  the  minority 
of  Louis  XIV.     Richelieu, f  who  was  then  prime  minis- 
ter, seems  to  have  taken  a  lively  interest  in  their  pro- 
ceedings, but  he  did  not  live  to  witness  the  ulterior 
movements  of  the  confederates.     Incredible  do  their  ex-  \ 
ertions  seem.     They  gave  letters  of  marque,  and  char      ] 
tered  some  light  vessels,  which  were  to  protect  the  shores,     / 
and  sail  under  the  confederate  colours ;  in  a  word,  tliey  / 
took  the  government  on  themselves,  and  issued  orders 
for  the  levying  of  armies,  and  gave  commissions  under 
their  own  seal  to  the  generals  who  were  to  take  the  com- 
mand.   Cusack  was  named  Attorne 
ket   held   the   office  of   Chancellor 
other  officers  having  been  appoints 
partments,  civil  and  military.     The  declaration  of  their 
independence,  saving  their  allegiance  to  the  crown  of 
Charles  I.,  may  be  easily  found  in  the  following  extract 
from  the  manifesto  which  they  published  at  the  termina- 
tion of  the  first  General  Assembly  : — 

"  It  is  hereby  declared  that  no  temporal  government  or  jurisdiction 
Bhall  be  assumed,  kept,  or  exercised  in  ticz  kingdom,  or  witliin  any 


*-  Unkind  Deserter,  p.  55 

t  lie  died  December  4.  1642,  and  was  succeeded  by  Cardinal  Mas 


were  to  take  the  com- 
!y-General,  and  Plun-  \ 
r  of  the   Exchequer,    | 
ed  to  the  various  de-    / 


50  CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 

county  or  province  thereof,  during  these  troubles,  other  than  is  befoia 
expressed,  except  such  jurisdiction  or  government  as  is,  or  shall  be, 
approved  by  the  General  Assembly,  or  Supreme  Council  of  the  Confe- 
derate Catholics  of  Ireland."* 

The  last  act  of  the  general  assembly  was  to  draw  up 
u  remonstrance  to  the  King,  declarative  of  their  loyalty, 
and  reprobating  tlie  vexatious  tyranny  of  the  justices, 
and  tlie  Irish  parliament,  which,  composed  for  the  most 
part  of  men  who  were  of  the  lowest  and  basest  class, 
thought  of  nothing  but  spoliating  ani  persecuting  the 
Irisli  Catholics.  The  remonstrance  detailed  the  whole- 
sale plunder  of  the  O'Byrnes  in  the  county  Wicklow, 
and  the  bigotry  of  the  justices  who  made  it  penal  to 
tolerate  a  Catholic  school-master.  It  implored  his 
M?jesty  to  confirm  the  graces  withheld  by  the  artifices 
of  Parsons  and  Borlase,  who,  by  bribing  jurors,  and 
promising  them  a  portion  of  the  lands  which  they 
contemplated  confiscating,  on  the  plea  of  defective 
titles,  left  little  chance  for  fair  and  impartial  trial. 
The  many  murders  committed  on  the  natives  under  the 
semblance  of  law,  Avere  detailed  at  length,  and  means 
were  taken  to  transmit  the  remonstrance  to  his  Majesty 
and  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  f  The  confederate  as- 
sembly did  not  break  up  till  the  ^  of  January,  and 
the  next  general  meeting  was  fixed  for  the  2pth  of  May 
following.  J 


This  manifesto  is  signed  by  Lord  Jlountgarret,  President,  and  S'l 
^isolas  Shea,  CJcrk  cf  the  Supreme  CouncU. 
+  Ciirte's  Orm.  L  270.  %  Walah,  Second  Part,  First  TrwtUe. 


cwKtuoitRxriozi  Oh  miLtLsynx, 


61 


CHAPTER  III. 


Before  the  general  assembly  rose  the  parliament  waa 
sitting  in  Dublin,  and  strange  and  unconstitutional  were 
its  proceedings.  The  Catholics  were  unrepresented, 
nor  was  there  a  friendly  voice  to  speak  in  their  favour 
The  justices,  intent  on  forging  new  fetters,  and  extirpa 
ting  the  Papists,  were  for  suspending  Poynjng's  act, 
and  thus  leaving  themselves  free  to  pass  new  penal  law 
without  transmittiug  the  bills  to  England.  In  this, 
however,  they  were  opposed  by  Ormond,  now  made  still 
more  in)portant  by  the  title  of  Marquess,  the  patent  having 
been  issued  on  the  18th  of  the  preceding  August.  Kuf 
was  there  wanting  a  representative  of  the  fanatical 
party  in  England  to  infuriate  the  enemies  of  the  con- 
federates, and  canonise  those  who  would  march  against 
them.  This  man  was  Stephen  J^^rome :  patronised  by 
the  hypocritical  justices,  he  preached  in  St.  Patrick's 
cathedral  each  morning  at  seven  o'clock  to  the  soldiers, 
and  on  the  13th  November,  in  Christ  church,  the  "  state" 
and  other  persons  of  rank  being  present.  "Empty, 
illiterate,  and  turbulent,"*  he  was  an  apostle  in  the  eyes 
of  his  pay-masters ;  nor  did  he  spare  the  king,  upon 
whom  he  heaped  slander  and  obloquy.  To  such  a  length 
did  he  carry  his  invectives  that  it  was  thought  desirable 
to  interpose  the  authority  of  Launcelot  Bulkely,  the 
Protestant  archbishop,  who  inhibited  the  spiritual 
champion  of  Parsons  and  his  colleagues.  The  justices, 
it  would  appear,  had  little  respect  for  the  authority 
of  their  diocesan ;  nor  did  the  preacher  resign  his 
office  till  he  found  it  inexpedient  to  continue.  He 
was  the  prototype  of  tliose  enthusiasts,  who,  subse- 
/quently,  in  the  name  of  the  God  of  charity,  evangelized 

/    not  peace,  but  strife — not   mercy,  but  extermination ; 

\    nor  would  his  name  be   mentioned  here  were  it  not 
necessary  to  show  that  the  pulpit  was  employed  by  the 


a.- 
vs   J 


"  Carte'i  Onu. 


52         CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

authorities  to  propound  these  rabid  dogmas,  of  which  a 
Oiore  enlightened  age  is  happily  growing  weary. 

But  the  proceedings  of  the  confederates  were  calcu- 
lated to    alarm  the  justices.     They  wanted  money  to 
pay  their  troops,  who  were  daily  becoming    mutinous ; 
their    appeals    to    England  were    unheeded,  and  they 
determined   to   take  such   measures   as  were  likely  to 
st^U  the  clamour  of  their  hirelings.     Imitating  the  con- 
/federates  "they  called   in  all  the  plate,"  which    their 
I  partizans  gladly  gave  them,  and  caused  it  to  be  coined 
\  into  half-crown  pieces  by  John  Neale,   Peter  Vander- 
\;Lroven,  and  Gilbert  Tongues,  goldsmiths.' 

These  precautions  were  necessary  ;  for  the  levy  of  the 
troops  in  Leinster,  ordered  by  the  supreme  council,  as 
well  as  the  alacrity  with  which  the  Catholic  gentry  and 
their  dependents  furnished  the  national  treasury,  made 
them  tremble  for  their  security.     The  poorest  gave  his 
mite,  and  all  were  ready  to  gird  on  the  sword.     The  ex- 
/  ertions  of  Preston's  officers  were  beyond  praise,  and  they 
I  hoped  soon  to  be  at  the  head  of  a  large  and  well-disci- 
plined force.     True  it  is  that  tliey  could  not  all  be  for- 
nished   with  arras,  if  we  except  the  pike,  which  was 
readily  procured  ;  but  the  artillery  which  Preston  brought 
/with  him  supplied  manj'^  defects.     One  thousand  five 
/  hundred  nmskets  of  the  two  thousand  landed  at  Wexford 
ly^  were  bestowed  on  him  ;  the  remainder  was  apportioned 
to  Owen  O'Neill. 

Burke,  who  was  to  command  in  Connav^ht,  was  ac- 
tively engaged  in  enlisting  the  sympathiis  of  his  pro- 
vince ;   nor,  indeed,  had  he  much  difficulty  in  drawing 
multitudes  into  the  confederacy.     With  a  small  band  of 
.  followers,  he  entered  the  church  of  Athenry,  and  caused 
^  Clanricarde's  chaplain  to  bless  his  banners.     The  fact 
came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Earl,  and  the  chaplain  wag 
dismissed.     But  the  petty  tyranny  and  officious  zeal  uf 
this  nobleman  could  not  stem  the  popular  enthusiasm. 
The  bishops  and  clergy  were  to  a  man  opposed  to  him, 
^and  the  recent  barbarities  of  Willoughby  made  them 
long  for  an  opportunity  in  which  they  might  expel  the 
English  garrison. 

in  tlie  south,  Inchiquin  had  remained  inactive  sisice 

*  Carte  3  Onn.    Simons's  Essay. 


CONFEDERATION    OP    KILKENNY. 


53 


the  battle  of  Liscarroll.  Forbes,  bowever,  landed  at 
>^  Kinsale,  and  marched  into  the  country,  as  far  as  Kath- 
barry.  A  section  of  his  forces  consisted  of  a  Scotch  re- 
giment ;  and  the  peasantry,  who  were  far  from  being 
well  armed  or  disciplined,  rose  and  slew  them  in  an  am- 
bush. Groves,  who  was  a  captain  under  lii^rbes,  imme- 
diately afterwards  fell  on  this  rude  array,  and  forced 

>^600  of  them  into  the  island  of  Inchidony,  where,  the  tide 
being  in,  tliey  were  all  drowned.*  Inchiquin,  however, 
remained  shut  up  in  Cork,  in  need  of  provisions;  nor 
did  he  dare  to  lake  the  field. 

Nor  did  Owen  Roe  confine  himself  to  Ulster.     The 
Scotch  general  had  endeavoured  in  vain  to  bring  him  to 

^  an  action,  but  as  yet  he  had  not  sufficient  strength  to 
meet  liim.  Munroe,  hoAvever,  had  been  compelled  to 
retire  into  Down  and  Antrim.  Sir  Robert  Stewart,  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  Scotch 

V  undertakers,  had  a  strong  force  on  the  Donegal  side ; 
and  CiSTeill  retired  for  a  while  into  Longford  and  Lei- 
trim,  with  the  intention  "  of  nursing  up  an  army  in  these 
rugged  districts"  which  would  make  him  a  match  for  his 
enemies,  f  ,^ 

Indeed,  the  chieftain  of  Ulster  could  not  have  selected 
a  fairer  field  for  his  enterprise  than  that  which  lay  open 

•  to  him  in  these  two  counties.  The  tyranny  of  such  men 
as  Sir  Frederick  Hamilton,  of  Manor  Hamilton,  and 
Coote,  (under  whose  orders  he  appears  to  have  acted,) 
had  driven  the  unfortunate  peasantry  to  madness.     The 

(cruelties  inflicted  on  the  Christians  of  Spain  by  Aben 
HumeyaJ  and  his  Morisco  captams,  pale  before  the  atro- 
cities perpetrated  by  Hamilton  on  the  inhabitants  of  Lei- 
trim  and  Longford.  His  bawn,  or  castle,  was  the  ren- 
dezvous of  a  ferocious  banditti,  who  spread  death  and 
desolation  around  them.  By  day  and  night  he  sent  from 
within  its  walls  a  savage  soldiery,  who  robbed  and  mur- 
dered with  impunity.  When  they  returned  to  their 
leader,  the  most  acceptable  gifts  they  could  ofler  were 
the  heads  of  the  wretched  people,  which  they  brutally 
severed  from  the  bodies.     Women  and  tender  girls  were 


•  Smith's  Cork. 

t  Appendix^  the  Poems  of  T.  Davis. 
X  Vide  History  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  vol.  v.,  p. 
Cab.  Cyclop. 


65,  in  Lardner'f 


CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 

not  exempt  from  the  horrors  which  this  fanatic  inflicted 
in  the  holy  name  of  God.  Upon  a  hill  near  his  castle  ha 
erected  a  gallows,  from  which  every  day  a  fresh  victim 
was  suspended.  The  brother  of  the  O'Rourke  shared 
this  ignominious  death,  with  his  wife  and  dependents. 
Nor  was  the%allant  Sir  Frederick  ashamed  to  bequeath 
\to  posterity  a  journal  which  he  kept  of  these  barbari- 
ties." The  result  may  be  easily  imagined.  The 
O'Rourkes,  O'Connors,  MacGaurans,  and  other  septs, 
were  only  anxious  for  a  leader.  Their  people  were 
ready — nay,  constrained — to  follow  them  ;  and  O'Neill'a 
exertions  were  employed  to  bring  them  to  a  state  of  dis- 
cipline and  organization. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  country  about  the  close  of 
November,  1642.  The  two  hostile  parties — the  Confe- 
.  derates  and  ParUamentarians — ^were  actively  engaged 
(.making  preparation  for  the  coming  struggle.  The  en- 
thusiasm of  the  Irish  was  at  its  height,  and  their  ene- 
mies, who  calculated  on  a  rich  harvest  of  plunder,  only 
waited  an  opportunity  of  meeting  them  in  the  field. 

While  the  respective  generals  were  mustering  their 
troops  and  disciplining  the  new  levies,  the  supreme 
council  remained  at  Kilkenny,  anxiously  watching  the 
progress  of  events.  About  the  middle  of  December  they 
proceeded  to  Wexford,  escorted  by  their  guard  of  500 
"Toot  and  200  horse. f     Their  object  was  to  compose  ani- 

*  This  journal,  or  diary,  ■written  by  Sir  F.  Hamilton,  was  printed  in 
London,  1643.  It  is  to  be  found  in  the  thorpe  Papers,  under  this 
title,  "  Another  Extract  of  more  Letters  sent  out  of  Ireland."  A  por- 
tion of  it  has  been  since  reprinted  by  my  talented  friend,  Jlr.  Bat- 
tersby,  in  the  Catholic  Directory  for  1846;  'tis  a  pity  he  did  not  give  it 
whole  and  entire  in  one  number.  We, must,  however,  content  our- 
selves with  one  extract  from  it,  which  cannot  fail  to  exhibit  the  ani- 
mus of  Hamilton  and  his  godly  mercenaries:—"  iMarch  17— Being  their 
patron  St.  Patrick's  day,  our  colonel,  sending  fbr  one  of  his  prisoners, 
the  rogues  being  drawn  up  in  a  body  right  before  us,  we  called  to  them 
since  they  durst  not  come  to  perfonn  their  promise,  and  take  the  cas- 
tle, they  would  rescue  their  countryman  who  was  there  to  be  hanged 
in  honoiu-  of  St.  Patrick,  which  prisoner  being  hanged,  and  proving 
but  an  old  sack  of  straw,  long  stockings  bei'ig  sowed  to  it,  as  it  was 
throwne  over  the  gallowes,  our  hangman  sitting  on  the  gallowes,  call- 
ing to  them  if  they  had  charity  in  them  to  send  the  poors  prisoner  a 
priest,  they  imagining  that  sack  to  be  a  man,  fell  aU  on  their  kne^  in 
9iir  view  praying  for  the  prisoner "s  soule. "' 

t  This  force  was  to  accompany  them  wherever  they  went,  and  ga> 
oson  whatevei  town  they  visited. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


55 


tuoaities,  and  release  from  prison  those  who  had  been 
committed  for  offences  against  the  government  of  the 
justices.  It  does  not  appear  what  these^  dissensions 
were,  but  the  fact  is  recorded  by  one  of  themselves. 
They  feared  any  disagreement  which  tended  to  diminish 
their  strength,  and  certainly  set  great  value  q^  the  heart 
and  nerve  of  the  capital  of  that  county,  so  signally  re, 
markable  for  its  bravery  and  patriotism.  "  The  towns- 
men of  Wexford,"  says  Belling,  "  were  naturally  as  vio- 
(ient  and  stubborn  at  land  as  they  were  famous  among 
the  nation  for  being  daring  at  sea."* 

It  is  at  this  period  we  have  evidence  of  the  growing 
importance  which  the  confederacy  was  attaining  in  the 
estimation    of   foreign    powers.      When  the    supreme 
council  had  arrived  at  Ross  they  were  waited  on  by  M. 
de  Overmere,   a  man  of  quality  from  Flanders,   and  a 
^relative  of  General  Preston.      This  gentleman  made  the 
supreme  council  an  offer  of  frigates,  on  a  proviso  that  he 
was  to  command.     They  deliberated  on  the  expediency 
ot  the  proposal  and  finally  declined  it.     Overmere  was 
a  subject  of  Spain,  and  they  feared  to  offend  the  French 
and  the  United  Provinces  then  actually  at  war  with  the 
Spanish    king.      A  number  of  light  vessels  soon  after 
/came   from    Flanders,    to  "which  they   gave   letters   of 
I   marque,  and  thus,  in  great  measure,  succeeded  in  inter- 
\  rupting    the   passage   between    Chester    and   the  Irish 
^coast.f     From  Ross  they  proceeded  to  Clonmel,  for  the 
purpose    of  drawing  Limerick  into   the    confederacy; 
for  although  the  city  and  county  had  declared  for  the 
national  cause,  such  was  the  influence  of  the  Earl  of 
y  Thomond  with  the  citizens,  that  they  wished  to  maintain 
themselves  as  "a  free  sjate."     When  the   mayor  was 
advertised  of  their  approach,  he  politely  represented  the 
great  dearth  of  corn  which  rendered  it  unsafe  to  intro- 
duce any  body  of  troops ;  but  the  chief  anxiety  of  the 
confederates  was   for  the   castle    of  Bunratty  and  the 
(other  strongholds    on    the     Shannon,    then    held   by 


*  Belling's  Narrative  of  the  War,  p.  163. 

t  Borlase,  p.  97,  lias  a  copy  of  a  commission  given  by  th^ 
gupreme  council  to  Francis  Oliver,  a  native  of  Flanders,  to  command 
the  "  St.  ilichael  the  Archangel,"  a  ship  of  120  tons  or  lasts,  em- 
powering him  to  "  prejudice  all  such  as  he  shall  meet  of  his  Majesty's 
eaeniies,  and  the  enemies  of  Uie  general  Cathohc  cause. " 


56  CONFEDERATIOK  OF  KILKENNY. 

Thomond,  wlio  tliey  feared  was  in  league  with  the 
parliament,  and  miglit  be  induced  to  admit  their 
garrisons.  Tlie  mayor,  however,  gave  a  solemn  assu- 
rance of  his  friendsy.ip,  and  that  of  the  citizens,  who 
were  determined  to  resist  all  overtures  on  the  part  of  the 
parliamentarians.  This  communication  quieted  their 
apprehensions  and  they  retired,  after  having  given  a 
>  commission  to  Sir  Daniel  O'Brien  to  seize  on  the  castle 
offiunratty,  and  on  the  person  of  the  Earl  of  Thomond ; 
for,  it  was  resolved — 

"  Tliat  if  he  coiild  be  forced  to  join  the  confederates  without 
toiichini;  on  his  religion  (as  he  was  a  Protestant),  he  should  be  in 
tlie  condition  of  their  confederates  ;  or  if  he  continued  neuter, 
without  adhering  to  the  enemy,  a  competent  part  of  his  estate 
should  be  set  apart  for  him,  and  no  declaration  made,  by  which 
he  would  be  subject  to  the  penalties  of  neuters."* 

Meantime  the  confederates  were  actively  engaged 
in  Leinster.  Preston  Avas  now  at  the  head  of  about 
6,000  foot  and  600  horse,  and  Lord  Castlehevan,  who 
acted  as  his  lieutenant-general,  burned  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  distinguish  himself.  The  first  encounter 
between  the  new  levies   and  the  Puritan  forces  was  at 

(Ballinakil,  in  the  Queen's  county,  wliich  was  a  colony 
of  English,  planted  tliere  by  James  I.  The  celebrated 
Moncke,  afterwards  Duke  of  Albemarle,  relieved  the 
place,  and  coming  up  with  some  detachments  of  the 
confederates,  defeated  them  at  Tyraalioe.  It  Avas, 
however,  nothing  more  than  a  skirmish,  for  Preston 
immediately  afterwards  proceeded  to  besiege  the  castle 
yr  of  Burros,  in  the  King's  county,  which  surrendei^ed  on 
the  30th  of  December.  Tliis  partial  triumph  was 
regarded  as  an  auspicious  termination  of  a  year  in 
wliich  Ireland  had  raised  herself  to  such  an  extraor- 
dinary eminence,  and  many  a  heart  "  beat  high  with 
hope"  for  ultimate  success,  ere  the  year  which  was 
now  dawning  had  drawn  to  a  close. 

From  Burros  the  Leinster   forces   marched   to  Birr, 

/of    which   place   the  infamous    Parsons  was  governor. 

/  Tiiey  sat  down  before  it  on  the  13th  of  January,  and 

V  after  a  brave,  but  ineffectual  resistance,  it  surrendered 

to    Preston.    'Nothing    could  equal   the    humanity  of 

tlie    confederate     generals   on   this   occasion,  for   ihey 

•  Bellini's  Nnn.^ti7e  of  the  "\Tar. 


CONFEDERATION   OF   KILKENNl.  SJ 

caused  all  the  prisoners  who  had  fallen  into  their 
hands,  amounthig  to  800,  men,  women,  and  children, 
to  be  escorted  by  detachments  till  they  reached  Athy.' 
Bannagher  was  soon  after  besieged  by  Preston,  and 
yielded  without  firing  a  shot.  From  this  place  he 
marched  to  Fort  Falkland,  on  the  26th  of  January.  The 
garrison  Avas  strong,  and  such  was  the  zeal  of  Clanricarde 
for  the  justices,  that  he  supplied  it  with  provisions. 
When  the  confederates  were  about  to  open  a  fire,  the 
governor.  Lord  Castlestewart,  thought  it  better  .to  sur- 
render, and  Preston  immediately  took  possession  of  the 
fortress.     "  Thus,"  says  Carte,  "  the  confederate  gene- 

.   ral  having  strengthened  himself  with  new  forces,  reduced 

^  all  the  forts  in  the  King's  County,  f 

While  these  successes  were  attending  them  in  Lein- 
ster,  the  province  of  Connaught  was  up  and  stirring. 

(Alarmed  by  the  growing  power  of  the  Irish,  Rane- 
lagh,  the  lord  president,  accompanied  by  young  Coote 
and  the  other  English  commanders,  fled  out  of  the  pro- 
vince. This  was  in  the  beginning  of  February.  On  the 
5th  of  that  month,  as  they  approached  Dublin,  they 
halted  at  Rathconnel,  where  they  were  met  by  Preston, 

CM'hose  mercurial  character  could  not  forego  the  opportu- 
nity of  risking  a  battle,  when  he  might  have  hung  on 
their  march,  and  cut  them  up  in  detail.  Eanelagh  had 
but  a  small  force,  and  he  fought  with  desperation.  He 
succeeded  in  repulsing  Preston,  and  making  his  way  to 
Dublin,  where  he  charged  the  justices  with  a  dereUction 
of  duty  in  not  sending  him  supplies.  The  withdrawal 
of  the  lord  president  had  a  salutary  influence  on  the  men, 
who  were  every  day  rallying  round  Colonel  Btlrke.     He 

V  proposed  amicable  terms  to  Willoughby,  who  still  held 
the  fort  of  Galway  ;  but  they  were  all  rejected,  and  cir- 
cumstances made  it  apparent  that  the  garrison  was  in 
the  intersst  of  the  parliament.  This  fact  served  to  rouse 
the  people  to  more  strenuous  exertions,  and  about  tlie 

V  middle  of  February  Clanricarde's  castle  of  Clare-Galway 
was  seized  for  the  confederates  by  Captain  Thomas 
Burke,  of  Anbally,  who  was  ably  seconded  by  a  Fran- 
ciscan friar.  When  the  lieutenant-general  of  the  pro- 
vince  had  information  of  this  event,  he  called  upon 

•  Cabtlehiiven's  :Mem.  t  Carte,  i.  S82. 

„   o 


58  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY 

several  gentlemen  of  the  c(untry  to  levy  forces  and  be- 
siege tlie  fort  of  Galway.  *  <i 

The  supreme  council  returned  to  Kilkenny  -W'hen  the 
news  of  Preston's  defeat  at  Eathconnel  reached  them. 
There  was  an  old  prophecy  that  vi^ioever  should  win  the 
■  battle  of  Eathconiiel  should  win  Ireland.  Tearing  that 
these  absurd  superstitions  should  damp  the  ardour  of  the 
people,  measures  -were  taken  with  promptitude  to  repair 
the  recent  disaster.  -  Some  of  the  new  levies,  who  had 
not  yet  seen  service,  were  given  to  Preston,  and  in  less 
than  a  week  he  was  in  condition  to  take  the  field. 

General  Barry  had  mustered  his  forces  in  the  south, 
and  had  reduced  Inchiquin  to  such  straits  that  he  was 
obliged  to  drive  all  the  cattle  left  in  the  baronies  of 
•Imokilly  and  Barrymore  into  the  garrisons  of  Cork, 
Kinsale,  and  Youghal.  Such  was  his  distress  that  it  be- 
came  necessary  to  seize  on  part  of  the  tobacco  belonging 
to  patentees,  of  which  there  was  a  great  quantity  in  the 
above-mentioned  towns,  and  sell  R  for  the  subsistence  of 
his  troops.  Purcell,  who  was  lieutenant-general  to 
Barry,  had  orders  to  besiege  Cappoquin,  which  Avas  gar- 
risoned by  Lord  Broghill  for  the  parliament.  Purcell 
proceeded  to  execute  his  commission,  when  an  event  oc- 
curred which  ultimately  delayed  the  reduction  of  the 
place.  ' 

The  justices  found  that  they  could  not  maintain  their 
troops  in  Dublin  without  producing  famine ;  and  as  they 
had  now  some  money  in  their  hands,  they  made  arrange- 
ments with  Ormond  to  take  the  command  and  bring  in 
provisions.  Accordingl}'-,  on  the  2nd  of  March,  the  lieu- 
tenant-general left  Dublin  with  an  army  of  3,000  foot, 
700  horse,  two  demi-culverins,  and  four  field-pieces. 

His  instructions  were  to  capture  Wexford  and  Ross,  as 
the  confederates  were  masters  of  the  sea,  and  were  daily 
seizing  barques  laden  with  provisions  as  they  were  pass- 
ing through  St.  George's  Channel,  f     The  justices  agreed 


*  Hardiman's  Galway,  120.  .Mr.  Moore,  in  liis  account  of  the  two 
actions  at  Tymahoe  and  liathconnel,  gives  tiiera  the  most  undue  im- 
portance. *'  1  he  ominous  victoiy"  of  Kathconnel  did  not  "strike  di*- 
may  into  the  hearts"  of  tliose  ■wliom  he  calls  "rebels;"  on  the  contrarj', 
they  grew  daily  bolder  and  more  determined. — Vide  Hist,  of  Irelaad, 
vol.  iv.  p.  254. 

f  Carte's  Orm. 


'  ^ 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNV.  OT 

lo  send  a  ship  laden  with  A'ictuals  for  Ormond's  troops ; 
and  according  to  agreement  this  vessel  was  to  anchor  at 
Duncannon.  Having  taken  Cartle-Martin,  in  the  county 
Kildare,  Ormond  continued  liis  march  towards  Carlow, 
and  on  the  4th  of  the  montla  he  sat  down  before  the  small 
castle  of  Timolin,  which  Avas  garrisoned  for  the  confe- 
derates by  four-score  men.  He  called  on  them  to  yield, 
and  they  stoutly  refused.  He  then  opened  a  fire  on  that 
devoted  band  of  heroes  ;  nor  did  they  ask  for  quarter  till 
the  blazing  rafters  were  crackling  about  them.  They 
were  then  permitted  to  march  out,  and  when  they  ex- 
pected tlie  same  forbearance  which  they  had  shewn  at 
\Fort  Falkland  and  Birr,  they  were  massacred  on  the 
spot.  Elated  with  this  victory,  Ormond  advanced  on 
Carlow,  and  having  held  a  council  of  war,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  lay  siege  to  Koss.  Orders  were  then  issued  by 
►  the  supreme  council  to  abandon  the  siege  of  Cappoquin, 
and  Purcell  was  directed  to  throw  300  men  into  Koss, 
which  was  greatly  exposed.  Belling  tells  us  that  it 
had  little  or  no  fortification — a  rampart  of  earth  was 
its  only  protection  ;  but  within  that  feeble  barrier  there 
were  stern  hearts.  On  the  Ilth  of  March  Ormond  ap- 
proached the  toAvn,  and  sevA  a  herald  to  Nicholas  Fitz- 
harris,  the  mayor, -commanding  him  to  surrender.  -Fitz- 
harris  replied  that  he  held  it  for  his  Majesty,  and  would 
not  yield.  A  second  summons  was  as  boldly  rejected, 
and  "file  townspeople  immediately  hoisted  the  confede- 
rate colours.  Ormond  then  opened  his  fire,  and  having 
effected  a  breach  in  the  earthen  rampart,  ordered  his 
men  to  advance.  They  did  so,  and  were  encountered 
by  the  heroic  people.  Men  and  women  guarded  every 
avenue,  and  repulsed  the  justices'  soldiers  ;  again  and 
again  did  they  push  forward  to  gain  an  entrance,  but  a 
shower  of  balls  and  stones  drove  them  back.  While  the 
people  were  thus  engaged  a  vessel  of  war  had  dropped 
down  the  river  from  Duncannon,  and  commenced  bat- 
tering the  town  ;  but  the  bravery  of  the  inhabitants  was 
not  to  be  daunted.  They  brought  some  light  pieces  to 
bear  on  the  ship,  and  sunk  her.  Ormond,  who  wit- 
nessed the  devoted  courage  of  the  men  of  Ross,  was  con- 
Bulting  what  step  he  should  take,  when  word  was  brought 
'^  him  that  Purcell  was  advancing  with  a  large  force  from 


GO  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

Cappoqiiin,  and  he  felt  himself  constrahied  to  raise  the 
HiL'ge,  alter  having  remained  five  days  before  the  place. 
Fearing  to  be  cut  off  from  his  reserve,  "which  he 
had  left  in  Carlow,  he  sounded  the  march,  and  resolved 
to  get  back  to  Dublin  as  he  might.  Preston  advanced 
■with  an  army  of  5,000  horse  «nd  foot  to  intercept  him, 
but  in  his  haste  he  brought  no  cannon.  He  halted  at 
Temple  Wodigan,  about  two  miles  from  Ross,  and 
Avaited   Ormond   in   a  pass  through   which  he   should 

■^necessarily  march.  "The  pass,"  says  Castlehaven,  * 
"  Avas  at  least  half-a-mile  through  a  bog,  where  no 
more  than  four  horses  could  march  in  a  breast,  with 
M-ater  up  to  the  belly ;  but  Preston  had  not  the  patience 
to  expect  the  enemy's  coming  to  him,  which  they  must 
do,  or  starve,  but  went  over  Jhe_pass  to  them,  and  put 

^himself  under  as  great  disacTvantage^as  his  enemy  could 
wish.  Ormond  took  hold  of  this  unexpected  advan- 
tage, and  gave  Preston  no  time  to  form  his  army,  but 
charged  still  as  they  went  over,  besides  what  he  did 
all  along  with  his  cannon,  till  at  length,  after  a  con- 
Biderable  loss  of  men,  killed  and  taken  prisoner?,  he 
Was  wholly  defeated  and  routed,  "f  Ormond,  however, 
rapidly  retired  to  Dublin,  quite  satisfied  that  he  was 
?iot  totally   destroyed.      A  better   system   of  militaiy 

^Supervision  would  have  removed  Preston  from  the  corn- 
Hand  ;  as  it  was,  however,  he  was  censured  by  the 
.,lipreme  council,  and  his  conduct  pronounced  uncir- 
tumspect.  He  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  Mount- 
garret,  whom  he  materially  served,  notwithstanding 
his  recent  failure.  Soon  after  the  battle  of  Ross,  he 
marched  with  all  his  force  on  Ballinakil,  (the  property 
of  Mountgarret)  which  had  been  in  the  possession  of 
an  English  colony.  Father  Talbot,  who  had  just  then 
arrived  from  his  mission  to  the  Spanish  and  French 
courts,  had  brought  Avith  him  suppHes  of  money,  and 

^"two  great  iron  guns."  These  Avere  forwarded  to 
Preston,  and  he  commenced  battering  the  castle,  which 
goon  yielded.  The  undertakers  were  i)ermitted  to  depart 
whither  they  would,  and  l^Iountgarret  got  possession 
of  his  estate.     Could  this  circumstance  have    blinded 

*  Castleliaven's  Jlem.  S5. 


CONFEDEh.ATION    OF    KILKENNY.  61 

cim  to  Preston's  rashness  and  unfitness  for  such  a  re- 
sponsible post  ? 

The  eulogists  and  apologists  of  Ormond  would  have 
us  believe  that  he  undertook  the  expedition  to  Ross 
much  against  his  will,  and  that  the  justices  had  a 
secret  design  in  sending  him,  which  was,  to  prevent  his 
negotiating  with  the  confederates.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
we  cannot  find  any  claim,  on  his  part,  to  such  hu- 
manity as  ever  characterised  the  confederate  armies, — 
On  every  occa^on  Avhere  blood  might  be  shed,  he 
knew   no  mercy,   and  Avhere    the    interposition    of    a 

'  generous  man  might  have  saved  many,  Ormond  was 
an  impassive  spectator.  All  the  apologies  made  for 
him  by  Walsh,  and  O'Connor*  who  falls  into  the  strange 
blunder  of  calling  him  an  Irishman,  would  not  wipe 
away  his  guilt,  in  permitting  the  wanton  massacre 
at  Timolin.  But  a  more  congenial  occupation  than  that 
of  war,  now  presented  itself.  England  was  in  a  flame, 
and  the  king  had  got  a  check  which  induced  him,  on 
retiring  to  Oxford,  to  consider  the  remonstrance  which 
the  confederates  had  forwarded  after  the  first  general 
assembly.  He  looked  to  the  future,  and  began  to  cal- 
culate  on  the  succours  he  might  derive  from  Ireland, 
in  case  he  succeeded  in  making  terms  with  the 
leaders. 

Influenced  by  these  considerations,  and  affecting  to 
believe  that  their  demands  were  moderate,  and  the 
representations  which  they^had  put  before  him  well 
grounded,  he  issued  a  commission,  under  the  great  seal, 

fon  the  11  th  of  January,  1643,  directed  to  the  Marquis 
of  Ormond,  the  Earls  of  Clanricarde  and  Roscommon, 

^the  Lord  Viscount  Moore,  and  others,  any  three  or  more 
of  them  being  authorised  to  meet  and  act  for  tlie 
purpose  aforesaid,  namely,  to  receive  in  Avriting  what 
the  petitioners  had  to  say  or  propound.  This  docu- 
ment was  in  the  hands  of  Ormond  on  the  30th  of  the 
month,  but  the  justices,  taking  this  commission  for  a 
step  towards  the  peace  of  the  kingdom,  and  their  own 
ruin,  "were  displeased  that  a  wish  should  be  mani- 
Tested  by  any  one  that  the  war  from  which  they  pro- 
mised themselves  revenge  and  fortunes,  should  in  any 

•  Colombanus,  whi)  was  ably  handled  by  Plowdcn,  passim. 


J^  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

Other  way  be  ended,  than  with  tlie  blood  and  confisca- 
tiou  of  all  those  whom  they  could  propose  to  be  guilty 
of  the  defection."  They,  therefore,  hit  on  an  expedient 
which  was  well  calculated  to  promote  their  ends.  The 
supreme  council  was  at  Ross  when  a  trumpeter  was  sent 
lo  inform  them  of  this  communication  from  the  kin^r, 
with  a  safe-conduct  from  Ormond  and  Parsons  to  such 
as  the  council  chose  to  employ  to  represent  their 
grievances  to  the  above-named  commissioners.  When 
the  safe-conduct  was  submitted  to  the  supreme  council, 
they  were  astonished  on  reading  the  following  words, 
which  had  been  artfully  introduced  by  the  justices,  with 
the  cognizance  of  their  lieutenant-general  : — "  That, 
albeit,  his  majesty  hath  not  thought  fit  to  admit  any 
of  them  to  his  presence  who  were  actors  or  abettors  of 
80  odious  a  rebellion,"  they  might  regard  themselves  as 
peculiarly  favoured  in  being  allowed  to  treat  with  his 
justices.  The  answer  returned  to  this  lying  fabrication 
was  worthy  of  these  chivalrous  men: — "We  take  God 
to  witness,"  said  they,  '*  that  there  are  no  limits  set  to 
the  scorn  and  infamy  that  are  cast  upon  us ;  and  we 
will  be  in  the  esteem  of  loyal  subjects,  or  die  to  a  man." 
In  the  heat  of  the  moment  they  had  resolved  not  to 
treat  with  the  commissioners,  and  stated  ''that  there 
was  a  necessity  laid  upon  tliem  to  absent  themselves 
from  the  meeting."  Their  answer  was  published,  and 
the  people  applauded  their  firmness.* 

However,  on  more  mature  deliberation,  they  sus- 
pected that  the  insulting  words  had  been  written,  not 
by  the  king,  but  by  his  enemies,  and  they  appointed  the 
18th  of  March  for  a  conference,  to  be  held  at  Trim. 
The  justices,  seeing  that  the  confederates  were,  well- 
disposed  towards  his  majesty,  resolved  to  try  what 
cruel  and  perfidious  actions  might  do.f  They,  there- 
fore, got  the  consent  of  the  council  in  Dublin,  to 
an  act  which  was  calculated  to  put  a  stop  to  any- 
thing like  a  treaty.  'At  i::e  battle  of  Rathconnel, 
Lisagh  O'Connor  and  the  son  of  Garret  Aylmer  had 
been  made  prisoners  by  Sir  Richard  Grenville;  in 
order  to  exasperate  the  Catholics,  Parsons  and  hia 
colleagues  wrote  to   Sir  H.    Tichbourne  to  have  them 

•  Belling's  History  of  the  War.  f  Carte's  Onn.  i.  407. 


CONPEDEUATIOA    ^F    RILKENNY.  63 

executed  by  martial  law.  Nor  did  they  confine  them- 
selves  to  this  unwarrantable  proceeding.  At  the  very 
time  they  had  the  king's  orders  to  quiet  troubles,  and 
bring  about  a  peace,  they  sent  their  lieutenant-general 
to  attack  Ross  ;  and  when  he  should  have  been  engaged 
in  pacific  negotiations,  he  was  actually  in  conflict  with 
General  Preston,  though  he  well  knew  that  he  was 
doing  the  bidding,  not  of  the  king,  but  of  Parsons 
and  liis  council. 

In  fact,  he  undertook  the  expedition  with  the  consent 
of  the  justices,  and  at  the  desire  of  an  English  com- 
mittee then  sent  over  by^the  parliament  "to  direct  and 
superintend  the  affairs  of  Ireland,  against  the  king's 
command."*  Though  expressly  named  ifi  the  commis- 
sion, he  was  burning  and  spoiling  the  country  without 
opposition,  on  the  very  day  when  Lord  Gormanstown, 
Sir  Lucas  Dillon,  Sir  R.  Talbot,  John  Walsh,  Esq., 
and  others  were  assembling  at  Trim. .  What  wonder, 
therefore,  if  the  luish  Catholics  distrusted  this  man  of 
craft  and  faithlessness  ? 

The  commissioners  from  the  confederates  were  met 
at  the  above-named  place  by  the  Earls  of  Clanricarde  and 
Roscommon,  Sir  Maurice  Eustace  and  others,  on  the 
part  of  the  king.  A  remonstrancef  of  grievances 
was  produced,  which  entered* at  great. length  into  a 
history  of  the  cruelties  practised  on  the  Catholics  by 
the  justices  and  their  adherents.  "  This  remonstrance," 
says  Borlase,  '*  was  solemnly  received  by  his  majesty's 
commissioners,  and  by  them  transmitted  to  his  ma- 
jesty."J 

But  before  it  was  sent  to  the  king  it  came  to  be  con- 
sidered in  the  commons'  house  of  parliament  in  Dublin, 
(seemingly  disliked  by  all,  whereby  the  business  growing 
hot,  the  house  was  prorogued  till  the  6th  of  May. § 

When  the  justices  heard  that  Preston  was  besieging 

i»Ballinakil,  they  sent  Colonel  Lawrence  Crawford,  with 

f  1,300  foot  and  150  liorse,  to  endeavour  to  beat  up  the 

Leinster  general's  quarters.     He  set  out  on  the  13th  of 

April ;  but  as  he  approached,  he  halted  before  the  castle 

•  Borlases  Irish  Eeb.  p.  142.  5 

t  This  lengthy  document  is  to  be  found  in  the  Appendix  to  Cuny'i 
Review. 
t  Ibid,  p.  154,  f  Borlase.  155. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

of  Ballybrittas.     IJe  called  on  the  confederate  garrison 
to  surrender,  but  he  was  soon  beaten  off.     Castlehaven 
was   ordered   to  fall   on  Crawford   as  he  was  retiring. 
Having  got  together  1,500  horse,  he  came  up  with  the 
English  at  Monastereven,  charged  and  dispersed  them. 
As  they  were  retreating  over  tlie  Barrow,  their  comman- 
der had  his  thigh  broken  by  a  musket-shot  in  his  flight. 
From  Ballinakil,  Preston  proceeded   with  his    army 
into  Westmeath ;   and  the  English  garrisons  of  Carlow 
and  the  Queen's  County,  taking  advantage  of  his  absence, 
alarmed  the  county  Kilkenny  to  the  very  gates  of  the 
city.  Castlehaven  took  the  field  again  and  scattered  these 
marauding  parties,  which  were  commanded  by  Sir  Mi- 
.  chael  Ernie  jftid  Major  Vernej.     He  subsequently  took 
^  the  castles  of  Ballynunry  and  Cloghgrenan,  and  relieved 
the  supreme    council  from  any  further   apprehension. 
Flushed  with  success,  he  passed  rapidly  into  the  Queen's 
County,  and  besieged  the  castle  of  Ballylennan.     Here 
he  was  joined  by  Sir  Walter  Butler,  who  informed  him 
that  a  strong  reinforcement,  drawn  from  the  English 
garrisons,  was  on  march  to  raise  the   siege.       Castle- 
haven, having  reconnoitred  the  advancing  troops,  deter- 
mined to  give  them  battle  in  sight  of  the  besieged  ;  and 
finding  that  they  dfd  not  amount  to  more  than  600  foot 
and  300  horse,  he  ordered  Butler's  cavalry  to  follow, 
when  they  immediately  betook  themselves  to  flight,  pur- 
sued by  the  confederate  light  troops  till  they  got  shelter 
in  Athy.     The  castle,  seeing  those  who  had  come   to 
their  succour  defeated,  yielded  on  honorable  conditions. 
Thus,  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  did  the  confede- 
^  rates  prosecute  the  war  in  Leinster  with  the  most  signal 
I  success,  taking  almost  every  place  of  strength  which  iiad 
V  been  held  for  the  justices,  who  were  terribly  apprehen- 
'sive  of  being  ultimately  shut  up  and  starved  in  Dublin. 
But  their  hopes  of  plunder,  and  undisguised  desire  ^f 
shedding  the  blood  of  the  Irish  Papists,  were  doomed  to 
be  disappointed.     Whether  Charles  I.  was  made  sensible 
by  the  remonstrance  recently  forwarded  of  the  evils  in- 
flicted on  the  Irish  people  by  Parsons  and  Borlase,  or 
apprehensive  that,  by  continuing  them  at  the  head  of  af- 
fairs,  he  was  only  injuring  himself,  it  is  not  our  province 
N  to  examine.     He  certainly  saw  that  the  justices  would 
ever  stand  in  the  way  of  any  peace  between  him  and  kis 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  t^ 

Irish  subjects,  and  he  determined  to  remove  them.     On 
'the  23d  of  April,  1643,  Sir  Francis  Butler  arrived  from 
/    England  with  a  supersedeas  for  Parsons'  government, 
{     and  a  commission  to  Lord  Borlase  and  Sir  Henry  Tich- 
bourne  to  be  lords  justices.     Yet  there  may  be  question 
whether  this  act  of  tardy  justice  on  the  part  of  the  king 
was  ultimately  beneficial  to  Ireland.     There  are  many 
who  think  that  it  was  quite  the  reverse.     Had  Parsons 
been  allowed  to  retain  the  government,  there  never  could 
have  been  room  for  the  craft  and  intrigue  which  followed. 
j/  His  love  of  pillage  and  hypocritical  cant  had  roused  such 
f  feelings  of  abhorrence  and  detestation  in  the  breasts  of 
\the  Irish  Catholics,  as  must  have  ever  stood  in  the  way 
of  any  accommodation  between  them  and  their  tyrants. 
From  what  we  have  seen  of  their  success  since  the  sit- 
ting of  the  first  general  assembly,  it  is  evident  that  they 
were  becoming  daily  more  skilled  in  the  use  of  arms, 
and  firmly  bent  on  establishing  their  independence.  The 
open  and  flagrant  vilianies  of  this  man  could  not  have 
subdued  their  spirit,  or  checked  them  in  their  onward 
march ;  but  it  Avas  reserved  for  the  policy  of  one  who 
vras  well  skilled  in  the  principles  of  Macchiavelli  to  break 
that  bond  of  union  which  must  have  rendered  them  irre- 
Bistible  and  triumphant ;  but  let  us  not  anticipate. 

In  the  beginning  of  May,  w^hilst  Preston  and  Castle- 
haven  were  reducing  the  strongholds  of  Leinster,  Munroe 
was  obliged,  by  the  most  pressing  want,  to  advance  into 
the  neighbourhood  of  Armagh.      Owen  Roe  occupied 
Charlemont,  which  he  had  fortified  and  garrisoned — 
/  'Twas  Munroe's  object  to  seize  the  Ulster  general,  and 
^  thus  dash  the  hopes  of  his  followers,  who  sanguinely 
reckoned  on  his  great  military  character  for  ultimate 
success.     So  secretly  did  the  Scotch  general  conduct  his 
march,  that  Owen  Roe  was  out  hunting  with  but  fev  of 
•Kis  staff  when  he  was  surprised.     His  first  thought  was 
to  escape  by  spurring  rapidly  back  to  Charlemont ;  but 
he  was  intercepted  by  a  detachment  of  the  Scotch.    His 
superior  knowledge  of  the  locahty  was  his  only  advan- 
tage ;  but  even  this  did  not  prevent  collision.     Beset  by 
Munroe's  men,  in  a  lane  thickly  enclosed  with  copses,  he 
V    fought,  hand  to  hand,  for  an  hour ;  and  such  was  the 
^steady  bravery  and  coolness  of  his  retinue,  that  Munroe 


60  CONFEDERATION    OJ-   KILKENNY. 

shouted  to  his  men,  *'  Cam  awa  frae  awheen  rebels,"* 

♦and  suffered  the  great  prize  to  elude  his  grasp.     On  the 

following  day  he  had  reason  to  repent  him  of  his  teme- 

(rity,  for  he  was  encountered  by  O'Neill  and  Colonel 
Sandford,  and  routed  with  loss.  A  small  army,  under 
]\Iontgomery  and  Chichester,  menaced  him  soon  after ; 
but  the  phlegmatic  general  was  not  to  be  provoked. 
Ee  knew  that  these  officers  were  chiefly  intent  on  making 
preys,  and  he  determined  to  husband  his  resources  for  a 
better  opportunity.  He  contented  himself  with  having 
secured  the  cattle  from  their  foragers,  and  then  retired 

"  into  Leitrim. 

In  the  west,  the  confederate  arms  were  signally  pros- 
perous. The  son  and  grandson  of  Lord  Athenry,  the 
three  Teige  Kellys  of  Aughrim  and  Mullaghmore,  to- 
gether with  Sir  Roebuck  Lynch,  Sir  V.  Blake,  and  other 
gentlemen  marched,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Burke,  to 

'  Galway.  Willoughby  was  shut  up  in  the  fort,  and  in 
want  of  provisions.  He  was  obhged  to  send  boats'  crews 
to  pillage  on  the  coast.  They  were  intercepted,  after  one 
of  these  predatory  excursions,  by  the  confederates,  and 
cut  off  to  a  man.  The  town  undertook  to  defray  the 
expense  of  the  siege,  and  two  batteries  were  erected — 
one  on  the  west,  and  the  other  on  the  opposite  point  of 
Rinmore.  A  chain  was  drawn  across  the  harbour,  and 
access  by  sea  was  thus  hindered.  Clanricarde,  who  had 
hitherto  rejoiced  at  any. reverse  sustained  by  the  confe- 
derates, "was,"  says  Mr.  Hardiman,  "unable  to  affj^rd 
any  relief."!  The  condition  of  Inchiquin  in  the  south 
may  readily  be  imagined  from  a  letter  which  he  sent  in 
the  early  part  of  May  to  the  Earl  of  Cork  :— 

"  Our  present  state  falls  out  now  to  be  more  desperately  misc  rablo 
than  ever  :  in  regard  we  have  no  manner  of  help  or  relief  am  onput 
ourselves,  and  the  provisions  we  depended  on  out  of  England  do*  h  fail 
as,  which  will  put  us  to  a  terrible  extremity,  here  being  nothing  to  de- 
liver foith  on  the  next  pay  day.  I  request  your  lordship  to  i  nd  ot 
borrow  £300,  for  victualling  those  in  Youghal.  To-mon'ow,  ith  « 
heavy  heart,  I  shall  march  forth,  to  linger  out  a  few  days  in  th  e  tieUi 
where  I  am  not  likely  to  continue  so  long  as  to  enterprise  anyt  ing  o; 
advantage,  for  want  of  provisions  for  the  men  and  money  for  tbs  CI 
ficer8."t 

'^  *  O'Neill's  Journal,  in  the  Desld.  Curiosa  Sib. 
t  Hist,  of  Galway,  p.  120. 
$  1*  rom  an  original  letter.     See  Smith's  Cork.. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY 


o7 


Nor,  in  fact,  did  he  effect  anything  of  advantage,  save 
seiLing  some  small  supplies.  His  troops  amounted  to 
4,000  foot  and  400  horse.     Some  of  them  were  sent  into 

^  Kerry  in  order  to  forage,  whilst  he  himself  invested  Kil- 
mallock  with  700  men.  Purcell  and  Barry  lield  it 
against  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  raise  the  siege  and 
go  to  the  aid  of  his  colleague,  Vavasour,  who,  after  com- 
mitting the  most  revolting  murders  on  those  who  sur- 
rendered themselves,  was  preparing  to  meet  Castlehaveu 
on  the  borders  of  the  county  Limerick. 

It  was  now  the  20th  of  May,  and  pursuant  to  their 
resolution,  the  general  assembly  had  met  in  Kilkenny. 

/  The  six  months  which  mtervened  between  this  and 
j  their  first  sitting,  had  witnessed  the  most  extraordinary 
*  changes.  By  an  act  of  the  general  assembly,  the 
supreme  council  was  confirmed,  nor  were  there  any 
material  changes  made  in  the  administration.  But, 
as  it  M'ill  appear,  it  Avas  a  moment  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  the  Catholics  of  Ireland.  Their  armies 
in  the  four  provinces  were  preparing  for  a  conflict,  on 
the  result  of  which  everything  depended.  The  hopes 
and  enthusiasm  of  the  Irish  people  never  were  higher, 
and  they  hastened  from  the  mountain  fastnesses  and 
sequestred  glens  to  swell  the  number  of  those  who 
marched  under  the  confederate  banners.  On  the 
land  and  on  the  sea  triumph^ and  success  had 
followed  their  movements.  The*  eyes  of  Catholic 
Europe  watched  their  progress,  for  their  fame  had 
travelled   over  the   Alps  and  Pyrenees.       The  French 

Vcourt  sent  M.  La  Monarie  as  its  envoy,  with  all  tlie 
'powers  of  an  ambassador ;  he  was  soon  followed  by 
MjJFuysot,  a  Burgundian,  from  the  court  of  Spain,  and 
Tettei^lrom  Father  Wadding  announced  that  Urban  VIII 
had  determined  to  send  an  agent  from  the  Vatican,  with 
supplies  of  arms  and  money.  Charles  I.  no  longer 
published  his  intolerant  threats  against  "Popish  recu- 
sants."     Hampden   was   proposing   to  besiege   him  in 

4  Oxford,  whilst  Essex  was  thundering  at  the  walls  of 
Reading.  His  treacherous  eyes  were  at  last  opened 
to  the  perils  that  beset  him,  and  the  injustice  whicb 
he  had  contrived  to  inflict  on  the  confederate  Catholics. 
He,  therefore,  resolved  to  pursue  a  different  coutsq 


titi  CONFEDERATION   OP   KILKENNY.      ^ 

hoi'd  raaBe,  according  to  the  parliamentary  pasquinades' 
of  tue  times,  had  been  plotting  Avith  the  king  since  hia 
return  to  Oxford,  and  lie  Avas  made  the  bearer  of  ai 
important  communication  to  Ormond ;  it  was  a  com 
mission  from  the  king  to  the  .marquess,  to  treat  with 
his  subjects,  "  and  to  agree  on  a  cessation  of  arms  foi 
one  year." 

In  an  evil  moment  the  supreme  council  consented  to 
entertain  the  proposal,  and  ordained  that  the  Lord* 
Gormanstown,  Muskerry,  and  others,  should  be  ap- 
pointed their  commissioners,  with  power  and  autho- 
rity to  treat  with  Ormond  of  a  cessation  for  one  whole 
year,    or    shorter,    upon    such    terms,    conditions,    or 

,^  articles,  as  to  the  commissioners  aforesaid  should  be 
thought  fit  and  expedient.  The  promptness  with  which 
the  assembly  caught  at  any  overture  of  peace  on  the  part 
of  the  king,  Avas  ample  evidence  of  their  loyalty  and 
affection  to  the  throne.  But  the  message  which  elicited 
their  reply,  is  at  once  evidence  of  their  strength  and 
Aveakncss.  Had  they  determined  to  stand  aloof  from 
.ill  factions,  parliamentary  and  royal,  and  struggle  man- 
fully for  their  country's  independence,  they  must  have 
succeeded,  and  made  themselves  more  than  a  match  for 
any  army  that  could  have  been  sent  against  them. 
-But,  alas !  the  attachment  of  the  Irish  to  the  worthless 
(jiouse  of  Stuart,  was  destined  to  be  their  bane  and  ruin. 
But  Ormond  was  in  no  hurry  to  carry  out  the  inten- 
tions of  the  king.  There  was  one  objection  in  the  way 
which  he  knew  would  prove  insuperable  to  the  confede- 
rates. They  had  determined  to  insist  on  a  dissolution 
of  the  parliament,  wliich  Avas  made  up  of  '•  Clerks, 
soldiers,  serving  men,  and  others   not  legally,  or  not  at 

«   all,  chosen  or  returned,"  Avho  had  jiassed   an   act  that 

no  person   should  sit,  either   in   that   or   in  any  future 

parliament,  till  hey  had  taken  the  oath  of  supremacy."! 

Another  coadition  on  which  the  confederate  commis- 

Bioneis  were  ordered  to  insist  was,  that  they  should  have 

~,  liberty  to  use  arms  against  all  such  persons  as  should 
make  Avar  against  the  contracting  parties;  but  Ormond, 


»  ^';>-"urius  Melaiicholicus. 

t  Remonstrance  from  Trim.     Y.'arn.  Irisli  Ilcb.  p.  21 


r^ 


CO?/FEDEXATION    OF    KILKENNY.  fiS 

who  kaew'well  that  this  was  meant  to  engage  him  against 
the  Scotch  in  Ulster,  demurred,  and  caused  the  treaty 
to  be  adjourned  to  the  foUov.-ing  month. 

Daring  these  negotiations,  the  conflict  between  the 
confederate  generals  and  their  enemies  was  raging  in  the 
four  provinces.  Owen  Roe,  at  the  head  of  3,200  men, 
of  which  force  1,000  were  immediately  with  him — the 
rest  being  in  attendance  on  a  large  collection  of  cattle — 
was  on  his  way  into  the  county  Leitrim,  when  he  was 
overtaken  by  Sir  R.  Stewart  at  Clonish,  on  the  borders 
of  Fermanagh.  Stewart  had  a  large  body  of  well-dis- 
ciplined troops,  commanded  by  Sir  W.  Balfour  and  Co- 
lonel Mervyn.  O'Neill  posted  his  main  strength  in  a 
narrow  pass,  which  he  lined  with  musketeers.  Stewart 
determined  to  force  it;  but  O'Neill's  cavalry  repulsed 
him  for  the  moment,  and  then  rapidly  retired.  Stewart 
immediately  advanced  at  a  gallop ;  but  had  scarcely  en- 
tered the  causeway  when  a  terrible  fusilade  from  within 
scattered  his  men,  and  drove  them  back.  A  forlorn- 
hope  vras  now  ordered  to  seize  the  pass,  and  the  battle 
raged  fiercely  on  both  sides.  A  nephew  of  the  English 
commander  engaged  in  single  combat  with  Owen  Roe ; 
but  the  clansmen  of  the  latter  attached  too  much  im- 
portance to  his  life  to  suffer  it  to  be  risked  in  this  species 
of  wild  tournament.  Stewart  was  struck  by  a  shot,  and 
'  a  dozen  pikes  pinned  his  horse  to  the  ground.  At  this 
moment  Shane  O'Neill  advanced  with  some  troops  of 
cavalry  ;  both  parties  then  engaged,  and  the  encounter 
lasted  fully  half  an  hour,  when  the  Irish  retired,  after 

leaving  many  of  their  companions  dead  in  the  gap 

Stewart  did  not  venture  to  pursue  his  partial  victory, 
and,  before  O'Neill  arrived  at  Mohill,  he  received  an  ac- 
cession of  men  and  arms,  which  more  than  compensated 
for  his  loss.* 

Twelve  days  after  this  much- exaggerated  skirmish, 
Owen  Roe,  at  the  head  of  a  considerable  force,  marched 
into  the  county  Westmeath,  within  fifteen  miles  of  Mui- 
lingar ;  whilst  Preston,  with  7,000  foot  and  700  iiorse,  waa 
carrying  everything  before  him  in  the  King's  County. 
'Moncke  was  sent  to  oppose  him,  but  dared  not  meet  him ; 

•  ly  tbls  action  Con  Oge  O'Neill  was  naurdered  by  a  Preebyteriaa 
Tdnlfter,  after  quarter  given. — O.XeiU's  Jvumal. 


CONFEDERATION-   OF    KILKENNY. 

and  thus  left  the  Leinster  general  master  of  everj''  strong 
place  in  that  county,  with  the  exception  of  Castlejor- 
dan.  The  state  of  the  English  garrisons  in  av.  ^  about 
Dublin  is  described  byt  Carte  and  others  to  lia\  been 
desperate.  Tlicre  was  the  greatest  dearth  of  provisions, 
and  nothing  but  the  saddest  necessity  could  induce  Or- 
niond  to  attack  tl)e  confederates,  who  spread  terror  even 
to  tlie  very  walls  of  the  city.  Moncke  was  sent  into 
Wicklow  to  seize  whatever  corn  and  cattle  lie  could  ; 
but  was  soon  recalled  to  reinforce  Lord  Moore, 
^who  was  sent  to  dislodge  Owen  Roe, — who,  with  Sir 
'  James  Dillon,  held  a  strong  position  jfive  miles  from 
Trim,  at  a  place  called  Portlester-mill.  O'Neill  threw 
up  a  breastwork,  placed  sixty  men  in  the  mill,  and 
waited  patiently  for  the  enemy.  Moore*  was  about  to 
advance,  when  he  was  killed  by  a  cannon-ball,  and  his 
whole  force  fled,  being  routed  with  slaughter.  O'Neill 
was  amply  avenged  for  his  loss  at  Clonish  ;•  and  the  way 
to  Dublin  was  open  to  him,  had  he  been  directed  to  ad- 
vance. The  victory  at  Portlester  was  the  prestige  oi 
success,  as  well  as  a  subject  for  mirth.  Some  "  camping 
chaplain"  commenforated  Moore's  death  in  a  distich, 
which  Borlase  gravely  remarks  had  more  sallies  or*wit 
than  skill.     It  is,  however,  too  good  to  be  lost: — 

"  Contra  Ptomanos  mores  res  mira  Dynasta, 
Morus  ab  liugenio  canonizatus  erat."t 

Ormond,  who  had  left  Dublin  at  the  head  of  6,000 
men,   accompanied  by  Lord  Lambert,  failed  to  bring 
^  Preston  to  an  action  ;  nor  did  the  conduct  of  ihis  general 
'fail  to  engender  suspicion,  for  he  had  an  army  which 
was  well  supplied,  whilst  that  of  the  marquess  was,  ac- 
cording to  the  testimony  of  Carte,  "ready  to  starve  for 

*  He  was  of  English  descent,  and  his  ancestors  came  in  for  a  large 
ihare  of  the  confiscated  church  property  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth. 

t  See  Borlase,  p.  129.  The  following  is  an  attempt  at  the  transla- 
tion :—     V. 

"  Tome's  ancient  rights  are  now  but  lightly  prized, 
Since  Moore  by  Owen  Eoe  was  canonized  T 

Lord  Jloore,  the  subject  of  this  distich,  was  a  Protestant.  I  men- 
tion the  fact  most  respectfully,  and  simply  because  the  Terses  in  Latin 
or  English  would  have  no  point  if  the  religion  oJ  his  lordtjliip  wus 
not  known. 


CONFEDEBATIOIJ   O?   KlLKKNlfY. 


7i 


want  of  provisions."  Far  difi'erent,  however,  was  the 
Bpirit  of  the  leaders  in  the  west  and  south.  The  siege 
of  Gal  way  was  pressed  with  vigour ;  and  so  straitened 
was  Willoughbv,  that  he  offered  to  surrender  the  fort  to 
the  Marquess  of  Clanricarde  after  Rear-Admiral  Brook 

'  had  failed  to  throw  in  supplies.  Burke  would  not  hear 
of  such  an  overture,  unless  the  Marquess  consented  to 
take  the  confederate  oath,  which  he  sternly  refused,  and 
the  parliamentary  general  surrendered  the  fortresses  of 

r  Gal  way  and  Oranmore  ta^the  heroic  Burke  on  the  20th 
of  June.  Three  days  afterwards  a  squadron  entered 
the  bay ;  but  the  colours  of  the  confederates  were  stream- 
ing from  the  flag-staff.  The  Archbishop  of  Tuam  was 
one  of  the  parties  who  drew  up  the  articles  with  Wil- 

-  loughby  ;  and  this  infamous  murderer  was  permitted  to 
depart  in  peace.  "Thus,"  says  Mr.  Hardiraan,  "the 
second  fort  of  importance  in  the  kingdom  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  confederates."* 

And  now,  to  crown  these  signal  triumphs,  couriers  were 
spurting  across  the  plains  of  Munster  to  announce  to  the 
supreme  council  the  intelligence  of  a  defeat  sustained  by 
[nchiquin  and  Vavasour.  We  have  already  said  that 
Castlehaven  had  marched  to  the  borders  of  the  county 
-  Limerick,  and  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  see  what 
he  accomplished,  Barry,  the  Munster  general,  was  old 
and  infirm, f  and  perhaps  had  no  greater  value  in  the  eyes 
of  the  supreme  council  than  that  which  resulted  from  his 
local  influence. 

Castlehaven,  who  was  beginning  to  grow  tired  of  ad- 
venture, seemed  at  first  reluctant  to  take  the  command  ; 
nor  did  he  move  till  urged  by  Lord  Muskerry  and  the 
assembly.  Accompanied  by  Fitzgerald,  commonly  called 

^.Garret-Garrough,  he  marched  hastily  to  Cashel,  where 
he  was  met  by  General  Barry  and  Lieutenant-General 
Purcell,  with  700  foot  and  some  troops  of  horse.  His 
whole  force  now  consisted  of  about  3,000  men,  together 

•  with  a  troop  of  boys,  mounted  on  fleet  horses.  Vava- 
sour was  at  Castle-Lyons,  after  allowing  a  number  of 
women  and  children  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  one  of  his 
officers,  by  whom  they  were  stripped  and  murdered. 
Inchiquin  having  notice  of  the  approach  of  the  confede- 


«  Hist,  of  Gal  way.  p  123. 
K 


f  Ca^tlehtren's  Mem. 


CONFEDERATION   OF   KILKENNY. 

rates,  sent  orders  from  his  camp  to  Moyalloe  *  for  dt« 
tachments  to  strengthen  his  lieutenant-general,  but  be- 
fore they  could  arrive,  Vavasour  was  set  upon  by  squad- 
rons of  cavalry  from  the  neighbouring  hills.  Fearing  that 
he  would  be  surrounded,  he  sounded  a  retreat,  and  his 
cannon  and  carriages  were  ordered  to  Fermoy,  while  he 
himself  rapidly  crossed  tlie  Funcheon.  His  van  was  led 
by  Lieutenant  King,  the  main  body  by  Major  Howell, 
and  the  rear  by  Vavasour  in  person.  Pierce  Lacy,  Cap- 
tain Hutton,  and  Lieutenant  Stadbury  commanded  the 
forlorn  hope.  Their  last  man  had  not  forded  the  Fun- 
cheon, when  the  confederate  cavalry  was  at  their  heels. 
— The  vanguard  had  ascended  the  hill  which  over- 
hangs the  river,  and  was  dashing  in  haste  through  a 
narrow  defile  which  leads  to  Fermoy,  when  Vavasour 
ordered  a  halt,  and  prepared  to  contest  the  pass ;  but 
that  troop  of  boys,  mounted  on  fleet  horses,  was  press- 
ing on  the  forlorn  hope,  not  after  the  fashion  of  drilled 
and  disciplined  men,  but  rather  like  "the  Moorish  and 
Getulian  horsemen,"  says  Borlase,  "  mentioned  by  Salust 
in  Jugartli's  war,"  In  vain  did  the  forlorn-hope  strivef 
to  resist  the  impetuosity  of  their  assailants.  They  were 
driven  in  on  the  main  body,  ■;;rhich  disordered  those  who 
still  held  the  pass.  In  a  moment  the  rout  wag  univer- 
sal. The  confederates  pursued  the  flying  columns,  and 
cut  them  up  in  detail.  All  the  cannon  and  colours  were 
taken.  Vavasour  and  his  officers  were  made  prisoners, 
and  600  of  his  best  soldiers  were  sabred  ^ci  .vocu  i]\e  ivlan- 
ning- water  and  Fermoy.  It  was  a  sad  blow  tolnchi- 
quin,  for  by  this  action  he  wag  reduccu  lo  abnut  2,500 
men,  and  obliged  to  shut  lilniself  up  in  garrison.  The 
confederates  soon  after  prepared  to  besiege  Cappoquin 
and  Lismore,  but  abandoned  the  design  when  it  was  an- 
nounced that  the  supreme  council  was  negotiating  a 
truce  with  the  Marquess  of  Ormond. 

-Alas!  that  craft  and  intrigue  should  have  stayed  them 
in  their  glorious  career,  for  there  never  was  a  moment 
Eo  prosperous  and  bright  with  hope.  Owen  Koe  was 
master  of  the  north,  as  far  as  the  borders  of  Westmcatb 
He  had  slaui  Lord  Mode,  and  driven  Moncke  within  ih '. 


*  ^falTow.  tht  birih-pkce  of  my  lamented  Srleud,  T.  Duvia. 
t  Irish  Kc-b 


CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 


73 


wails  of  Dablin.  Preston  liung  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city,  and  threatened  Ormond.  The  Munster  army  had 
covered  itself  with  glory.  Drogheda,  Dundalk,  and  the 
garrisons  in  the  north,  were  reduced  to  the  direst  want. 
Was  this  a  moment  for  diplomacy  ?  Certainly  not.  But 
had  the  command  of  all  the  confederate  troops  been  com- 
mitted to  Owen  Roe,  instead  of  dividing  it  between  four 
generals,  Ireland  would  have  achieved  a  glorious  inde- 
pendence, and  must  have  been  spared  that  long  and 
bloody  catalogue  of  pains  and  sufferings,  the  recollection 
of  which  must  ever  pain  the  heart,  while  it  teaches  us 
that  all  our  miseries  have  been  the  result  of  treachery 
on  the  part  of  pretended  friends,  and  disunion  amongst 
ourselves. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Aboct  the  middle  of  July,  1643,  while  the  confe- 
derates were  gaining  those  important  advantages  which 
we  have  described,  there  arrived  on  our  coast  a  com- 
missioner from  ilie  Holy  See,  who  was  sent  by  Urban 
Vm.  to  report  on  the  state  of  Irish  affairs.  This  waa 
Father  Peter  Francis  Scarampi,  a  native  of  Piedmont, 
and  a  priest  of  tlie  oratory ;  nor  did  he  come  empty- 
handed.  The  Pontiff  made  him  the  bearer  of  a  bull, 
in  which  he  lauded  the  zeal  and  earnestness  with  which 
tlie  Irish  fuught  for  the  independence  of  their  religion, 
inl  Father  Luke  Wadding  committed  to  his  charge  a 
sum  of  30,000  dollars,  which  he  had  collected  from  the 
Barbarini,'  Spada,  and  other  noble  families  who  took 
an  interest  in  the  cause  of  the  confederates.  Nor  did  the 
holy  father  confine  his  liberality  to  transmitting  such 
spiritual  weapons  as  a  jubilee,  with  a  plenary  indulgeace. 


*  In  tli"  library  of  this  noble  family  there  is  i  vast  store  of  material 
for  Irish  liistory.  When  tlie  author  of  "  Rome,  under  Paganism  and 
the  Popes"  visits  the  holy  city  again,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  will  turn 
his  attention  to  the  archives  of  the  IJarbai'iui  palace.  W'iio  more  equaJ 
to  the  t«sk  than  the  elo<juent  and  eradite  L>r.  Miley  ? 


74  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

to  all  wlio  had  taken  up  arms  in  defence  of  religion.* 
He  also  sent  a  large  quantity  of  arms  and  ammunition, 
•bf  -which  he  knew  tliere  was  then  mucli  need.  When 
the  supplies  had  been  safely  landed,  Scarampi  at  once 
proceeded  to  Kilkenny,  where  he  found  the  confederates 

^  engaged  discussing  the  question  of  a  cessation  of  arms. 
Division  and  dissensions  had  manifested  themselves  in 
the  council,  and  the  spirit  displayed  by  the  contending 
parties,  clearly  evinced  that  the  oath  of  association 
was  their  only   "essential  tie."     The  Irish  of  tlie  Pale 

, .  were  tired  of  the  war,  whilst  the  *'  old  Irisli"  were  bent  on 
following  up  their  success ;  in  fact,  the  former  had  been 
drawn  into  the  confederacy  contrary  to  their  inclination, 
and  were  now  anxious  to  make  terms  with  Ormond. 
The  "old  Irish,"  on  the  other  hand,  influenced  by  the 
bishops  and  clergy,  and  fondly  hoping  to  establish  their 

^independence,  were  inexorably  opposed  to  all  overtures 
which  did  not  tend  to  secure  to  them  freedom  of  conscience, 
and  the  public  exercise  of  their  religion.  Naturally 
enough,  Scarampi  advocated  the  views  of  the  bishops, 

^  and,  in  his  capacity  of  envoy  from  the  Holy  See,  ex- 
horted the  assembly,  in  the  name  of  the  Sovereign  Pon- 
tiff, not  to  recede  an  inch  from  their  'vantage,  but  to 
prosecute  the  war  and  insist  on  such  terms  as  a  weak 
and  beleagured  government  could  not  dare  to  refuse. 
And,  although  it  has  been  the  lot  of  this  man  to  fall 
under  the  censure  of  such  writers  as  Carte  and  Leland, 
he  was  perfectly  right  in  principle;  nor  let  us,  who  daily 
echo  tlie  sentiment   tliat   "  England's  infirmity  must  be 

4  Ireland's  opportunity,"  dare  to  impeach  the  policy  of  a 
friendly  stranger,  who,  two  hundred  and  three  years 
ago  entertained  the  same  view  and  gave  utterance  to  a  cor- 
responding conviction.  It  has  been  the  work  of  more 
tlian  two  centuries  to  shake  off  these  penal  fetters  which 
must  ever  be  a  disgrace  to  English  legislation.  The 
man  who  has  done  the  mighty  worlc  stands  proudly  pre- 
eminent as  the  greatest  of  his  day.  Had  he  done  nothing 
more  than  unrivet  those  chains,  he  shohld  go  down  to 
his  grave  canonized  in  the  remembrance  of  his  couutry- 


•  Borhise  says  that  the  Pope  sent  the  Irish  a  pardon  for  all  mannei 
tf  sins.  The  charge  w;is  repeated  by  Lord  Orreiy,  but  ia  nobly  ro- 
tated by  Dr.  I'rcnch  in  the  "  Bleeuhijj  Iphigeiiiu." 


COIfFEDKRATION    OF    KILKENNY.  7^ 

men  ;  and  shall  we  join  our  own  misrepresenters  -when 
they  endeavour  to  cast  blame  on  the  head  of  him  who 
strove  to  do,  in  a  moment  of  our  greatest  triumph,  that 
which  O'Connell  has  effected  after  centuries  of  division, 
weakness,  and  misrule?  Forbid  it,  justice;  for,  come 
honest  counsel  whence  it  may,  or  a  helping  hand  from  the 
most  distant  region — be  it  Greek,  Hindoo,  or  Roman — 
we  should  not  be  ungrateful  for  kindness.  And  what  Avaa 
required  in  Scarampi's  time? — unanimity,  stern  resolve, 
and  a  march  on  Dublin.  AVith  an  army  in  each  of  the 
three  provinces,  and  the  most  unparalleled  enthusiasm 
on  the  part  of  the  people,  and  some  great  leader  whose 
command  to  "follow"  all  would  have  hearkened  to— 
what  bitter  ages  of  hate,  and  strife,  awd  degradation, 
might  we  not  have  escaped  !  But  it  was  otherwise  or- 
dained— there  was  yet  wanting  a  spirit  of  union  ;  and 
even  noAv,  after  so  many  painful  lessons,  what  but  the 
same  prolific  source  of  evil  stands  in  the  way  of  our  na- 
tionality ?  But,  thank  heaven,  "  we  preach  a  land 
awoken."* 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  question  of  tlie  truce 
with  Ormond  had  been  adjourned  for  a  month ;  but, 
although  he  had  the  king's  peremptory  order  to  carry  it 
into  execution,  he  Avas  in  no  hurry  to  comply  with  the 
royal  mandate.  However,  tlie  reverses  which  he  had  sus- 
tained began  to  make  a  deep  impression  on  him,  and 
determined  him  to  adopt  another  course.  Want  of 
money  and  provisions  had  reduced  him  to  the  direst 
straits;  and. the  condition  of  his  troops  and  chief  gar- 
rison is  thus  described  by  an  eye-witness : — "  The  state 
and  the  army,"  says  Sir  P.  Percival,  "were  in  the 
greatest  distress.  The  streets  of  Dublin  had  no  manner 
of  victuals  many  times  for  one  day,  so  that  the  soldiers 
would  not  move  without  money,  shoes,  and  stockings; 
for  want  of  which,  many  had  marched  barefooted,  and 
had  bled  much  on  the  road ;  and  others,  through  un- 
wholesome food,  had  become  diseased,  and  died."  Yet, 
notwithstanding  this  state  of  misery,  Ormond  was  more 
anxious  to  cater  to  the  parliamentary  faction  than  serve 
the  king ;  but  he  hated  the  federative  government,  and 
BCt  his  heart  upon  destroying  it ;  in  fact,  nothing,  save 

*Dnflfy,  in  the  Sr'-it  cf  fiie  Nation. 


76  CONFEDERATION    OP   KILKENNY. 

the  ruin  which  stared  him  in  the  face,  could  hare  Induced 
liim  to  resume  the  negotiation  which  liad  been  broken 
off.  Towards  tlie  end  of  June  he  called  the  richest  of 
the  citizens  of  Dublin  before  him,  when  be  delivered  a 

^  motion  in  writing,  "  that  if  £10,000  could  be  raised, 
the  one-half  in  money,  and  the  other  in  victuals,  to  be 
brought  in  within  a  fortnight,  he  would  break  off  the 
treaty,  and  proceed  in  the  war;"  but  the  citizens  were 
unable  to  supply  his  demand.  Sir  H.  Tichbourne,  a 
gloomy  fanatic,  then  tried  to  raise  £300  a-piece  from  the 
members  of  the  council  board ;  but  he,  too,  failed ;  and 
yet,  at  this  very  moment,  the  confederates  were  well 
supplied  with  men,  arms,  and  money,  and  might  have 
overwhelmed  the-  designing  Ormond  and  his  faithless 
colleagues,  had  the  councils  of  the  "old  Irish"  happily 
prevailed.  *'  'Twas  the  crisis  of  their  affairs"* — the  most 
active  moment  of  two  conflicting  principles,  and  the 
conduct  of  the  time-serving  Pale  lords,  ruined  and  dis- 
graced the  country.  They  well  knew  that  at  this  mo- 
ment the  country  might  have  been  their  own,  and  that 
they  could  have  driven  Ormond,  Tichbourne,  and  their 
famished  mercenaries  into  the  sea,  and  then  flung  them- 
§elves  heart  and  soul  into  the  royal  cause,  and  saved  thp 
monarchy ;  but  such  was  not  their  policy,  for  they  lacked 
the  proper  spirit. 

But  a  rumour  was  industriously  circulated  by  thft 
Pale  lords,  that  the  king  was  inclined  to  dissolve  the 
,  present  parliament,  and  call  a  new  one  by  the  10th 
of  November  following,  and  Ormond  was  authorised 
to  assure  them  of  his  majesty's  good  intentions.  The 
latter  was  aware  of  the  dissensions  which  were  at 
work,  and  by  his  agents  artfully  contrived  to  foment 

^them.  Many,  nay,  nearly  all  the  lords  and  gentry 
of  the  Pale  Avere  his  relatives  or  dependants,  and  he 
cajoled  them  with  soft  words,  and  flattering  compli. 
ments.  Astutely  hiding  his  own  distressed  condition, 
te  pretended  that  he  was  acting  Avith  friendly  feelings, 
and  his  artifice  prevailed  to  his  satisfaction. 

One  event,  however,  had  well  night  marred  his  plans. 

Though   the    supersedeas    for    Parsons  had  long  since 

-come,  it  had  not  been  acted  on.    Thus  was  this  infamous 

•  Dntlin  Review,  June,  1844.    Percival'B  Statemei.t  m  ^mic. 


CONf liI>£RATION    OF    KILKENNY.  i 

raaji  alloT'fid  to  take  share  at  the  council  board  iu 
Dublin.  A  short  time  before  that  appointed  for  the 
meeting  between  Ormond  and  the  confederate  commis- 
sioners. Parsons  wrote  a  letter  to  the  supreme  council, 
touching  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  couched  in  the 
following  terms  : — 

"  We,  the  lords  justices,  do  declare,  that  if  Captain  Fairer  be  re- 
leased by  the  rebels,  we  ynll  give  orders  for  the  releasincj  Synnott 
lately  employed  as  captain  among  the  rebels,  the  jailor's  dues  being 
first  paid." 

'To  this  insolent  document  the  supreme  council  re- 
turned the  following  reply : — 

"We  do  not  know  to  whom  this  certificate  is  directed,  neither  shall 
it  be  safe  hereafter  for  any  messenger  to  bring  any  paper  to  us  con- 
taining other  language  than  suits  our  duty,  and  the  atfections  we  beir 
to  his  majesty's  service,  wherein  some  may  pretend,  but  none  sliall 
have  more  real  desires  to  farther  his  majesty's  interests,  than  his  ma- 
jesty's loyal  and  obedieut  subjects, 

"  MOONTGARRET.      MUSKERRT." 

Startled  by  this  manly  reply,  which  nothing  but 
insult  could  have  drawn  from  them,  Ormond  became 
alarmed.  He  did  not  know  how  soon  Preston  might 
be  on  the  north  bank  of  tlie  LiflTey,  there  was  no 
time  to  be  lost,  and  he  determined  to  strike  a  blow 
which  he  knew  would  give  pleasure  to  his  friends  and 
partisans  in  the  supreme  council.  Parsons,  Loftus, 
Meredith,  and  the  veracious  Sir  John  Temple,  of 
ghOst-seeing  notoriety,  were  arrested.  Parsons  pleaded 
impaired  health,  and  the  rest  were  committed  prisoners 
to  the  castle  on  charge  of  contravening  the  royal 
amII.  Sir  Henry  Tichbourne  and  Sir  John  Borlase 
were  appointed  lords  justices,  and  Mountgarret,  Gor- 
.manstown,  and  Muskerry  openly  boasted  that  they 
had  got  rid  of  their  most  inveterate  enemies.  Ormond's 
policy  triumphed,  and  the  question  of  the  cessation  was 
immediately  resumed.  In  vain  did  the  few  members 
of  the  "old  Irish"  who  were  in  the  supreme  council 
inveigh  against  it  ;  they  were  in  a  minority  from  the 
beginning,  and  tliose  who  were  opposed  to  them  placed 
all  their  nopes  in  the  genius  of  the  marquess. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  more  humiliating  scene  in  the 
entire  of  these  transactions  than  that  which  followed- 
Oa  the  16th  September  1643,  Muskerry,  Dillon,  Plunket, 


78         CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

Talbot,  Barnwell,  Neale,  Brown,  Walsh,  and  Maginnil 
Btood  bare-headed  before  Ormond's  tent,  at  Sigginstown, 
''  in  the  county  Kildare,  while  ' '  he  alone  wore  hat  and 
plume,"  prepared  to  sign  a  truce  which  was  intended 
to  last  an  entire  year.  It  will  be  necessary  to  ex- 
tract some  of  the  articles  of  this  treaty  for  the  satis- 
faction of  the  reader,  but  before  we  do  so,  it  is  necessary 
to  premise,  that  before  the  ink  in  which  it  was  written 
dried,  the  confederate  commissioners  discovered  that 
Ormond  had  no  notion  of  calling  a  new  parliament, 
although  he  knew  that  the  present  one  was  irregular 
and  illegal.* 

ABBREVIATE  OF  THE  TREATY. 
"It  was  agreea  that  the  Roman  Catholics  now  in  arms    at  any 
time  during  the  ceusation,  may  send  to  his  majesty  such  agents  as 
they   shiUI    think  tit,  ana  that  the   said  agents   shall   have  a  free 
coral  uct  from  the  chief  governors  of  this  kingdom. 

"  It  is  agreed  that  the  Quarters  in  the  province  of  Connaughtbe  the 
following,  viz.  : — that  the  county  Galway,  tlie  county  town  of 
Gaiway,  the  counties  of  Mayo,  Roscommon,  Sligo,  and  Leitiim,  now 
in  pussession  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  shall,  during  thu  said 
cess;ition,  remain  in  their  possession. 

"It  is  agreed  tKat  the  quarters  of  the  province  of  Leinster  be 
the  following,  viz.  : — that  the  county  Dublin,  the  county  of  the  city 
of  Dublin,  the  county  of  the  city  of  Droghela,  and  the  county 
Louth,  shall  remain  in  possession  of  his  majesty's  Protestant 
Bubjects. 

"  It  is  agreed  that  the  county  Tipperary,  the  county  Limerick,  the 
coimty  Kerry,  the  county  Waterford,  and  the  county  Clare,  shall  be  in 
possession  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  except  Knockmorne,  Ardmore, 
Pilltown,  Cappoquin,  Ballinetra,  Stroncally,  Lismore,  and  Lisfinny. 
"The  quarters  Ui  Ulster  are  to  be  as  followeth,  viz.  -.—That  such 
counties,  baronies,  tenements,  hereditaments  as  are  now  possessed 
by  any  of  his  majesty's  Protestant  subjects,  o.'  any  that  adhere  to 
them,  and  all  places  protected  by  any  commainiers  deriving  autho- 
rity from  the  king,  shall  be  in  their  possession,  excepting  such 
lands,  castles,  &c.  &c.  as  are  pow  in  possession  of  tlie  Roman 
CftthoUcs." 

The  rest  of  the  articles  regard  traffic  and  free 
intercourse  between  England  and  Ireland,  and  the 
rules  to  be  observed  by  both  parties  regarding  the  ex- 
change of  prisoners. 

Sorely  annoyed  as  were  the  "old  Irish,'*  by  the 
conchision  of  the  truce,  the  parli-imentnry  party  did 
not  feel  it  less.  The  Karl  of  CoFl^,  aocordin ,'  to 
Borlase,  "took  it  so  much  to  heart  that  he  diedsoon 

+  Carte,  iii.  430. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  79 

after,  as  he  did  not  ^vish  to  survive  what  he  suspected 
might  not  be  conducible  to  the  English  interest." 
jBroghill  and  Inchiquin  were  altogether  opposed  to  it ; 
-ind  the  latter,  seeing  it  carried  against  his  unavailing 
/emonstrance,  betook  himself  to  England,  and  made 
an  offer  of  his  services  to  the  king.  It  is  probable 
that  Charles  set  no  value  on  his  assurances;  and  as 
soon  as  he  learned  that  the  presidency  of  Munster 
ras  about  to  be  bestowed  on  the  Earl  of  Portland,  he 
/•eturned  to  Ireland,  confirmed  in  his  hatred  of  the 
faithless  monarch.  But  as  for  Ormond,  he  had  gained 
all  he  could  have  wished.  Jealousies  and  rancorous 
feelings  grew  up  amongst  the  confederates,  and  the  men 
who  hitherto  dared  not  to  cross  the  Liffey  without  hazard 
to  their  lives,  became  fawning  courtiers "  and  expect- 
ants of  office;  but  to  none  did  the  cessation  give  less 
satisfaction  than  to  the  Catholic  inhabitants  of  Ulster. 
The  provisions  which  were  made  for  that  province  gave 
Munroe  and  his  adventurers  both  claim  and  title  to  all 
the  lands  and  tenements  which  they  then  held,  as  they 
did  to  those  intruders  who  had  long  since  hunted  out 
the  rightful  owners.  Yet,  as  the  orders  emanated  from 
the  supreme  council,  they  were  rigidly  observed,  though 
the  population  smarted  under  a  sense  of  the  injustice 
which  was  done  them. 

The  advantages  derived  by  Ormond  from  his  able 
diplomacy  may  be  collected  from  the  fact,  that  hitherto 
the  confederate  ships  intercepted  all  supplies,  and  left 
Dublin  in  such  a  state,  that  upon  search  being  made 
in  the  city  and  suburbs,  there  could  not  be  found 
fourteen  days'  provisions  for  the  inhabitants  and 
soldiers.* 

But  now  the  ports  and  the  approaches  to  them  were 
left  open,  and  he  began  to  gather  in  supplies  of  corn 
and  other  stores,  which  restored  to  him  the  confidence 
of  the  soldiers  and  citizens,  and  made  him  a  match  for 
any  section  of  the  confederate  army  which  might  be 
induced  to  violate  the  cessation.  One  article  of  that 
fatal  instrument  obhged  Ormond  to  join  his  forces  with 
those  of  the  confederates  in  punishing  those  who  would 
be  guilty  of  the   shghtest  infraction  of  the  treaty ;  but 

•  Sir  Phil.  Percival's  Statement. 


50 


CONFEDERATION  OF   JiSHi&Wr. 


we  shall  soon  see  how  faithlessly  he  regarded  it.     The 
Scotch  forces,  "  recent  and  veterate,"  in  Ulster  at  thipiuo- 

/  inent,  amounted  to  20,000  men;  and  "  memorable  Mun- 
roe"*  was  in  direct  communication  with  the  parlinmeut. 
About  the  beginning  of  November  the  infamous  Owen 
Connolly  (who  betrayed  the  plot  of  Lord  Maguiref  and  hia 
brave  associates  to  seize  the  Castle  of  Dublin  in  1641)  came 
over  with  a  commission  from  the  parliament,  and  an  or- 
der to  the  Scotch  to  take  the  covenant  as  the  parliament 
had  done  on  the  25th  of  September.  On  bended 
knees,  in  the  kirk  of  Carrickfergus,  Munroe  com- 
plied with  the  wishes  of  the  rebels,  who  sent  him 
supplies  of  money,  arms,  and  provisions,  with  an  in- 
junction to  denounce  with  lire  and  sword  all  who 
sliould  observe  the  cessation. 

It  was  at  this  period  that  the  Marquess  af  Antrim  (m  ho 

t  having  escaped  Ijom  Carrickfergus  and  proceeded  to 
England)  returned  to  Kilkenny.  A  zealot  in  the  royal 
cause,  he  gladly  took  the  oath  of  association.  He  me-. 
dilated  being  appointed  to  some  high  post  of  honour 
amongst  them.  This  nobleman  found  the  supreme 
council  in  every  way  favourable  to  his  views,  and  ap- 
parently intent  on  squandering  their  resOTirces.  Antrim, 
now  created  marquess  by  the  king's  privy  seal,  proposed 

f  to  raise  3,000  men  to  assist  Montrose  in  Scotland,  and 
they  agreed  to  furnish  him  with  2,000  muskets,  2,400 
pounds  of  powder,  and  200  barrels  of  oatmeal,  which 
were  to  be  ready  by  the  1st  of  May  following,  and 
shipped  to  Scotland  by  Mr.  Archer,  a  merchant  of  Kil- 
kenny— an  instance  of  fatuity  which  was  quite  in  keep- 
ing with  the  voluntary  offering  of  £30,000,  which  was 

'  not,  in  the  strict  sense,  what  its  advocates  pretended,  in- 
asmuch as  it  Avas  to  be  levied  on  a  people  who  had  been 
basely  plundered  by  the  ministers  of  the  crown. 

Another  disadvantage  which  this  cessation  brought  on 
the  Irish,  was  the  departure  from  their  coasts  of  most  ol 

♦  the  shijis  which  had  been  chartered  by  the  supreme 


•  Legend  of  Montrose. 

t  Corn,  lyiaguire  ( Lord  Enniskillen)  was  esecuted  at  Tyburn  on  the 
20tb  of  February,  l(i44.  Ko  martyr  at  the  stake  ever  died  more  trne 
to  God  and  his  faith.  His  trial  is  to  be  found  at  the  eud  of  TeraHe't 
Hist.,  and  also  in  the  State  Trials.  See  Dub,  Keview,  March,  1845,  whftre 
there  is  a  letter  concerning  him 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKEXWT.  81 

coTincils  in  the  earlier  time  of  the  war.  Every  creeh 
and  harbour  suddenly  became  infested  with  the  parlia- 
mentary cruisers,  so  much  so,  that  it  was  difficult  to 
Bend  men  or  money  out  of  Ireland.  The  orders  is- 
sued by  the  parliament  to  their  partisans,  on  the  land, 
were  only  equalled  by  the  Algerine  ferocity  of  their 
cruisers  on  the  seas.  Out  of  150  men,  who  about  this 
time  sailed  for  Bristol,  and  who  were  taken  by  one 
Swanly  at  sea,  seventy,  besides  two  women,  were 
thrown  over  board  because  they  were  supposed  to  be 
Irish.*  Nor  did  the  Irish  retaliate;  for,  soon  afterwards 
falling  in  with  a  ship  which  had  on  board  fifty  kirk 
ministers  deputed  to  preach  up  and  administer  the  co- 
venant in  Ulster,  they  contented  themselves  Avith 
making  them  prisoners.  This  fatal  truce  was  the  source 
of  all  these  miseries,  and  the  coast  which  hitherto  liad 
been  so  watchfully  guarded,  Avas  now  swarming  with 
rebel  ships,  "whose  commanders  sliowed  no  mercy  to 
such  as  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into  their  hands. "f 

When  the  news  of  the  cessation  had  reached  Oxford, 
the  king  determined  to  appoint  the  Marquess  of  Ormond 
lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland  ;  but,  on  account  of  the  tem- 
pestuous state  of  the  Aveather,  and  the  difficulty  in  ad- 
justing the  form  of  procuring  the  Earl  of  Leicester's 
resignation,  the  commission  was  not  issued  till  the  mid- 
dle of  January,  1644.  On  the  21st  of  that  month  he 
was  sworn  in  with  all  proper  forms  and  ceremonies.  J 
We  have  now  arrived  at  the  beginning  of  a  year  which 
witnessed  many  sorroAvs  and  reverses  in  Ireland,  and  it  is 
necessary  that  Ave  pass  them  rapidly  in  revicAv  before  us. 

Ormond's  elevation  to  the  viceroyalty  Avas  calculated 
to  raise  the  hopes  of  that  portion  of  the  confederates  who 
placed  all  confidence  in  him,  and  naturally  gave  him  a 
fairer  opportunity  of  deluding  and  deceiving  them.  The 
"old  Irish,"  on  the  other  hand,  did  not  reckon  on  any  ad- 
vantage to  be  derived  from  his  administration.  He  had 
no  real  sympathy  Avith  them,  and  they  deeply  deplored 
the  conclusion  of  the  treaty,  which  was  likely  to  giA'e 
Jinother  direction  to  the  popular  mind.  Some  Avere  of 
opinion  that  the  truce  tended  to  abate  that  martial  ar- 

»  Ormond's  Let.  Collect,  of  his  papers,  vol.  i.  p.  48. 
t  Cartes  Orm.  vol.  iil.  p.  246.  J  Carte,  i.  47S. 


62  CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 

dour  which  characterised  the  people  since  the  rising  of 
1641  ;  and  others,  like  Father  OTerrall,*  bitterly  re- 
gretted that  the  lords  and  gentry  of  the  Pale  had  ever 

,  been  "trusted  in  so  holy  a  league."  That  such  should  have 
been  the  sentiments  of  the  "old  Irish"  is  only  natural, 
when  we  find  it  admitted,  on  the  authority  of  Carte,  that 
they  had  nothing  to  get  by  a  cessation,  and  "  were  only 
fit  to  be  sent  to  Scotland  to  deliver  his  majesty  out  of 
his  troubles."  f  In  fact,  such  was  the  dislike  entertained 
by  them  for  the  entire  proceeding,  that  De  la  Monarie, 
the  envoy  from  the  French  court,  and  Francisco  deFos- 
set,  the  envoy  from  Spain,  had  no  difiiculty  in  getting 

^  men  to  embark  in  the  service  of  their  respective  crowns, 

"  wl)ile  the  greatest  reluctance  prevailed  against  going  into 
England ;  in  truth,  the  continental  courts  had  strong 
claims  on  the  affections  of  the  Irish,  for  even  a  short  time 
before  Ormond's  inauguration  his  Catholic  majesty  had 
forwarded  20,000  dollars  to  the  confederates.  This  sum 
was  expended  on  arms  and  ammunition.  Their  agents, 
too,  were  kindly  received  in  the  foreign  capitals,  and 
were  willingly  aided  by  the  nobility  and  gentry,  who  re- 
garded them  as  engaged  in  a  holy  crusade.  But  the 
lord  lieutenant  well  knew  that  the  treaty  itself  would 
furnish  ample  material  for  dispute  and  bloodshed,  and 
he  calculated  wisely.  The  question  of  boundaries,  which 
was  not  well  defined,  was  of  itself  fashioned  to  engender 
broils  between  the  parties ;  but  what  cared  he  if  the  Ca- 
tholics became  broken  up  and  disorganised  ?  Division 
was  his  object,  and  he  had  copiously  sowed  its  seeds.  He 
only  looked  to  the  dissohition  of  that  union  which  was 
once  so  formidable,  and  diplomacy  like  his  was  capable 
of  eflTecting  it. 

It  was  at  tliis  period  that  the  supreme  council  com- 
missioned Edmund  O'DwyerJ  to  proceed  to  Home,  and 

,  present  to  Pope  Urban  a  memorial,  signed  and  sealed  by 

*  He  was  a  Capuchin  fiiar,  and  wrote  a  book  with  the  following 
title— "  Modus  Eversionis  Cath.  Religionis  in  Hibemia."  Lynch,  the 
author  of  "  Cambrensis  Eversus,"  published  a  reply  under  the  name  of 
"  Eudoxus  Alithinoloffus."  It  is  quoted  by  Walsh  in  the  Hist,  of  the 
Rem.,  p.  740. 

t  Carte's  Orm.,  1.  477. 

J  He  was  afterwards  Bishop  of  Limerick,  and  signalised  himself  when 
Ireton  besieged  the  city. 


CONPEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


83 


them,  praying  his  holiness  to  promote  Wadding  to  the 
college  of  cardinals.  * 

But  that  portion  of  it  which  must  interest  us  most  is 
their  report  on  the  state  of  Catholicity  in  Ireland  at  tliis 
period  of  the  confederacy.    It  was  thus  described : 

"  It  is  now  manifest  to  the  whole  Christian  world  with  what  fidelity 
the  Catholics  of  Ireland  have  cluns  to  their  ancient  faith,  and  how 
tliey  braved  death,  and  exile,  and  the  confiscation  of  their  substance, 
rather  than  renounce  the  religion  of  their  ancestors.  To  you,  most 
holy  father,  it  is  particularly  known  how  heroically  the  Irish  people, 
without  arms  or  munitions  of  war,  have  struggled  against  the  phalanxes 
of  those  who,  sworn  enemies  of  the  holy  see,  had  vowed  and  sworn  to 
pluck  up  our  religion  by  the  very  roots.  Our  holy  war  has  had  a  glo- 
rious result.  The  Lord  God  is  now  publicly  worshipped  in  our  temples, 
after  the  manner  of  our  fathers;  most  of  the  cathedrals  have  been  re- 
stored to  our  bishops;  the  relijxious  orders  possess  the  monasteries,  and 
seminaries  have  been  opened  for  the  education  of  our  youth.  This 
great  work  has  been  accomplished  through  the  goodness  of  God  and 
the  many  favors  bestowed  on  us  by  you;  verily,  in  future  times  the 
brightest  page  in  the  history  of  your  pontificate  shall  be,  that  you  found 
the  Catholic  religion  despised  and  prostrate  in  our  island,  and  ere  that 
pontificate  closed  beheld  it  raised  up  in  splendoui-,  and  magnificently 
attired,  even  as  a  bride  for  her  spouse."  t 

During  these  transactions  the  supreme  council  held  its 
sittings  at  Waterford,  and  a  question  was  raised  as  to  the 
prudence  of  pawning  that  portion  of  the  kingdom  then 
in  their  possession  to  some  foreign  court,  in  order  to  raise 
money.  Owen  Hoe  was  summoned  to  give  his  opinion, 
when  he  repudiated  the  idea  of  giving  any  foreign  power 
•^  "  an  interest  in  Ireland."  He  then  proceeded  to  Cliar- 
lemont,  where  he  remained  some  time  with  Theobald 
Magauly,  tlie  governor  of  the  fort,  and  finally  fixed  his 
head-quarters  at  Belturbet.  Lulled  into  false  security  by 
the  cessation,  the  supreme  council  proceeded  to  Galway, 
and  some  of  the  other  towns,  to  hear  cases  touching  usur- 
pations of  property,  and  adjudicate  on  civil  concerns 
whicli,  in  the  din  of  arms,  could  not  have  been  properly 
attended  to. 

Having  returned  to  Kilkenny,  a  very  considerable  pe- 
riod seems  to  have  been  wasted  in  collecting  those  sup- 
plies which  it  was  their  intention  to  have  transmitted  to 
England.  It  was  agreed  that  the  sum  of  £30,800  should 
be  paid  by  instalments  of  money  and  "beeves;"  but  it 

*  In  the  Writers  of  the  Seventeenth  Centur}-  Mr.  M'Gee  haa  beautl- 
'     folly  ti-eated  this  subject. 

t  Vide  Ilib.  I.'ora.,  in  Append,  p.  87G 


CONi-EDEKATION    OF    KII.KKNN^ 

would  appear  that  "lere  was  great  difficulty  in  procuring 
advances  of  kind  and  coin.  Charges  were  made  almost 
daily  of  a  violation  of  the  articles  of  cessation  by  both 
parties :  and  Ormond  did  not  conceal  his  displeasure  at 
the  slowness  with  which  the  confederates  sent  the  beeves 
'  to  Dublin.  One  of  the  strangest  of  the  charges  advanced 
against  the  supreme  council  at  this  moment  was,  that 
they  forwarded  cattle  of  a  very  inferior  description,  and 
took  away  369  head  of  the  choicest  English  cows  and 

*  bullocks  from  the  suburbs  of  Dublin,  thus  exposing  the 
inhabitants  to  the  very  danger  from  wliich  it  was  the  ob- 
ject  of  the  cessation  to  protect  them.  Tliis  charge  is  made 
upon  dubious  authority,  for  it  is  certain  that  the  conre- 
derates  had  the  best  intentions,  however  short-sighted 

t  their  policy  may  have  been.  Perhaps  no  fact  is  more 
calculated  to  vindicate  tliem  from  such  aspersions  than 
the  conduct  which  Ormond  was  forced  to  adopt  regard- 
ing the  forces  which  he  sent  to  the  king's  aid  in  England. 
When  the  cessation  was  concluded,  several  regiments, 
drawn  from  the  garrisons  in  and  about  Dublin,  got  orders 
to  proceed  to  Chester;  "  but  such  was  the  reluctancy  of 
the  common  soldiers,  that  the  sharpest  proclamations 

•  hardly  restrained  them  from  flying  their  colours,  both 
before  and  after  their  arrival  in  England."  '  Indeed,  to 
such  a  state  of  insubordination  and  disaffection  had  they 
been  brought,  that  Ormond  was  forced  to  administer  an 
oath  obliging  his  mercenaries  to  remain  firm  in  tlieir  al- 
legiance to  the  king.  Not  so,  however,  with  such  of  the 
Catholics  as  could  cross  the  sea,  and  stand  by  his  majesty 
in  his  struggle  against  the  parliament.  Their  fidelity  was 
only  equalled  by  their  valour  and  chivalrous  conduct 
against  the  overwhelming  forces  under  the  command  of 
Fairfax. 

But,  as  to  the  cessation,  the  only  towns  which  can  be 
said  to  have  obsei'ved   it  were  Newry,    Dundalk,  and 

,  Drogheda.  Munroe  was  encouraged  by  the  parliament, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  to  disregard  it ;  and,  if  he  re- 
quired any  further  stimulant,  he  had  already  got  it  in  a 
commission,  under  the  parliament's  broad  seal,  to  com- 

^  mand  in  chief  all  the  English  as  well  as  Scotch  forces  in 
Ulster.     On  receipt  of  tlie  commission  lie  commenced  a 


y- 


•  Borlase'a  Hist,  of  the  Irish  Insur..  p.  135. 


CONFEDKRATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

campaign  against  the  Catholics,  who  religiously  obeyed 
the  orders  of  tlie  supreme  council,  which,  on  the  intel- 
ligence of  his  perfidy,  wrote  to  Ormond  that  these  Cove- 
nanters "were  diverting  them  from  assisting  his  majesty, 
and  eating  further  into  the  bowels  of  the  country."* 
This  was  obviously  meant  to  induce  Ormond  to  declare 
'  Munroe  and  his  followers  rebels  to  the  crown.  But  th« 
Jrily  lord  lieutenant  did  not  find  it  his  interest  to  take 
such  a  step. 

A  subject  of  the  most  momentous  importance  was 
now  mooted  by  the  supreme  council,  regarding  pro- 
positions to  be  submitted  to  the  king ;  and  in  order  to 
take  their  attention  from  mere  matters  of  war,  Ormond 
encouraged  them  to  proceed  to  Oxford,  and  lay  their 
case  before  his  majesty.  At  the  very  same  time  a  cabal 
in  Dublin  was  maturing  a  scheme  to  counteract  any  ad- 
vantage which  the  Catholics  were  likely  to  derive  from 
an  interview  with  the  king.  Muskerry,  MacDonnell, 
^Plunket,  Sir  Robert  Talbot,  Dermid  O'Brien,  Richard 
'  Martin,  and  Severinus  Browne,  formed  the  deputation, 
which  Reached  England  about  the  beginning  of  April, 
and,  having  arrived  at  Oxford,  presented  a  statement  oi 
grievances,  and  earnestly  prayed  for  the  repeal  of  all 
the  penal  restrictions,  which  not  only  disqualified  them 
from  holding  civil  offices  in  the  state,  but  weighed  most 
heavily  on  their  religion  and  the  practices  it  inculcated. 

To  all  their  demands  the  king  gave  willing  ear,  and 
flattering  assurances  ;  but  one  grand  subject,  which  had 
^  been  warmly  debated  by  the  council  at  Waterford,  pre- 
vious to  the  departure  of  the  delegates,  was  regarded  by 
his  majesty  as  little  less  than  scandalous.  This  was  the 
secure  possession  of  the  churches  then  in  their  hands  ; 
,  and  the  king  declared  that  he  would  reserve  it  for  his 
future  consideration.  An  earldom  was  offered  to 
Muskerry,  which  he  declined,  and  the  commissioners  re- 
tired from  the  royal  presence  with  an  abundance  of  soft 
*   words,  but  witliout  a  single  practical  result. 

It  is  hard  to  imagine  any  state  of  greater  difficulty 
than  that  of  the  king  at  this  moment ;  for  the  confede- 
rate commissioners  had  not  left  England,  when  Sir 
,    Cliarles  Coote  and  others,  deputed  by  the  Protestants  of 

•  Korlas*. 


fe6  i^NrSDERATION    OF    KILKENKT.      ^ 

jreland,  presented  propositions  asking,  amongst  otbef 
concessions,  tliat  "  the  king  would  abate  his  quit-vt.Ms, 
and  encourage  and  enable  Protestants  to  replant  the 
kingdom,  and  cause  a  good  walled  town  to  be  built  in 
every  county  for  their  security,  no  Papist  being  allowed 
to  dwell  therein."  The  second  demand  was  not  less 
extravagant.  They  prayed  his  majesty  "  to  continue  the 
penal  laws,  and  to  dissolve  forthwith  the  assumed 
power  of  the  confederates,  and  banish  all  Popish  priests 
out  of  Ireland,  and  that  ncv  Popish  recusant  should  be 
allowed  to  sit  or  vote  in  parliament."  The  king  was 
amazed  at  the  peremptory  manner  in  which  these 
propositions  were  enforced  ;  but  it  was  conjectured  that 
they  were  concocted  in  London,  with  a  view  to  obstruct 
any  accommodation  with  the  Irish,  and,  in  all  pro. 
bability,  to  induce  them  to  a  violation  of  the  truce.. 
But  commissioners  soon  after  came  from  the  council 
in  Dublin,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  Archbishop 
Usher,  who  condemned  Coote's  extravagance,  and 
requested  him  to  withdraw  these  revolting  demands. 

But,  though  Ai-chbishop  Usher  inveighed' against 
the  proposals  of  tliese  fanatics,  the  propositions  which 
he  submitted  to  Charles  I.  were  not  far  removed  from 
the  intolerant  spirit  of  Coote.  On  the  part  of  the 
Irish  Protestants,  he  desired: — "That  all  the  penal 
laws  should  be  enforced,  and  all  Papists  disarmed." 
The  king  clearly  pointed  out  the  impracticability  of  such 
measures,  at  a  moment  when  the  confederate  Catholics 
possessed  more  than  three  parts  of  the  kingdom.  The 
queen,  too,  influenced  "the  royal  M'ill  on  this  occasion, 
and  sought  to  impress  on  the  mind  of  her  consort, 
that  the  Catholics  were  well  worthy  of  his  confidence. 
Indeed,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  whatever  kindness 
fee  had  shown  the  confederate  commissioners,  was  the 
result  of  her  majesty's  interference.  And,  before  we 
close  this  brief  glance  at  this  portion  of  our  subject, 
we  may  sum  up  in  a  few  words  the  amount  of  his 
good  intenticiis  towards  the  Irish  Catholics.  He  waa 
willing  to  pass  h.a  aH  for  removing  from  them  any 
iucapacvtv  to  purchase  lands  or  offices,  and  had  no 
objection  to  allowing  *' recusants  their  seminaries  of 
education."  He  wa^  content  to  call  a  new  parliament 
ill   Jreland,   but,  without  the  suspension  of  Poyning'a 


COSfFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY  ^^ 

law.  In  all  matters  regarding  penal  enactments,  hg 
stated  that  these  statutes  were  too  odious  to  be  en 
forced,  and  that  his  recusant  subjects,  on  returning  tr» 
their  duty,  should  liave  no  reason  to  complain.  He  then 
dismissed  them  with  a  pathetic  admonition  to  considef 
his  circumstances  as  their  own. 

Whilst  the  king  was  cajoling  the  commissioners 
with  these  kind  promises,  on  which  they  placed  but 
too  much   reliance,  Munroe  was  carrying  the  orders  of 

*  the  parliament  into  execution.  The  general  assembly, 
alarmed  by  tlie  imposing  force  of  the  Covenanters,  sent 
orders  to  Owen  Roe  to  appear  in  Kilkenny  on  the  1st 
of  May.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  Scotch 
general  had  seized  Belfast.  O'Neill  complained  bitterly 
of  the  distress  of  the  men  under  his  command,  stating 
that  he  would  be  obliged  to  quarter  them  on  the  oth-e? 
provinces.  He  then  made  an  offer  to  prosecute  the 
war  against  Munroe,  if  he  was  seconded  by  tlie  supreme 
council,  for  whom  he  promised  to  raise  4,000  foot  and 
400  horse  out  of  his  own  province.  The  council  ac- 
cepted his  offer,  and  agreed  to  give  him  6,000  foot 
and  600  horse.  When  the  question  of  command  was 
raised,  it  was  put  to  the  vote,  and  Castlehaven  was 
declared  by  a  majority  commander-in-chief.  O'Neill 
took  it  seriously  to  heart,  but  subsequently  went  to 
congratulate  Castlehaven.  But,  even  at  this  time,  the 
effects  produced  by  the  cessation  were  deplorably  visible, 
for  the  man  who  now  was  vested  with  the  chief  com 
mand,  declared  that  the  troops  who  were  to  take  part 
in  the  approaching  campaign,  came  to  the  rendezvous 
"like  new  men  half  changed."* 

Men  and  horses  were  untit  for  service ;  and  the  accou- 
trements were  not  in  a  better  condition.  With  2,000 
men,  Castlehaven  marched  rapidly  into  Connaught  to 

.  enforce  the  orders  of  the  supreme  council,  and  soon 
after  detached  some  parties  to  reduce  the  Ormsbys,  who 
would  not  submit  to  the  cessation.  Owen  Roe  was  en- 
camped at  Portlester  about  July,  when  Castleliaven 
marched  on  Granard,  in  the  county  Longford,  where 
he  was  met  by  his  main  force,  consisting  of  3,000  horse 

'wttd  foot,  with  three  field-pieces.     He  was  soon  informe/ 

T  CasUeliaven's  Men).  ^47. 


OS  CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

that  Munroe,  with  an  army  17,000  strong,  was  marching 

'  to  meet  him.  Fearing  to  encomiter  such  superior  num- 
bers, he  retired  on  Portlester.  Munroe,  having  accom- 
plished his  object,  which  was  to  get  preys  of  cattle, 
marched  back   to   tlie  north,  after   having  wasted  the 

country  in   his  rear,    and   dealt    death   about    him 

Throughout  these  marchings  and  counter-marchings 
there  was  a  misunderstanding  between  the  two  com- 
manders. In  some  skirmish  with  outposts,  one  Fennell, 
who  commanded  under  Castlehaven,  stood  passively  by 

^  while  some  of  O'Neill's  kinsmen  were  hacked  to  pieces 
before  his  face.  O'Neill,  who  had  been  sick  during  the 
action,  styled  Castlehaven's  officers  cowards,  and  the 
commander  bitterly  resented  it,  when  O'Neill  repeated 
the  charge,  saying:  "  This  Fennell,  the  cowardly  cock 
with  the  feather,  had  the  craven-heartedness  to  look  on 
whilst  my  relatives  were  being  slain,  and  moved  not  an 
inch  to  their  succour — to  the  supreme  council,  who  em- 
ployed us  both,  he  shall  answer  for  this." 

Castlehaven,  soon  after  this  occurrence,  called  on 
O'Neill  for  the  supplies  he  had  promised  ;  but  the  latter 
excused  himself,  saying:    "That  as  soon  as  they  had 

,  entered  Ulster  he  would  make  good  his  word."  They 
then  united  their  forces,  and  proceeded  to  Tanderagee, 
and  erected  a  fort  to  protect  their  magazine.  Nothing 
of  consequence  transpired  during  their  progress ;  they 
were,  however,  engaged  in  perpetual  skirmishes  with 
outposts  ;  nor  did  Munroe  dare  to  face  them.  He  had 
advanced  as  far  as  Armagh;  but  soon  broke  up  his 
camp.     Castlehaven  finally  grew  tired  of  a  war,  which 

,  he  had  not  patience  or  military  talent  to  appreciate,  and 
hastened  back  to  Kilkenny,  where  he  boasted  that  the 
confederacy  owed  its  preservation  to  his  skill  and  perse- 
verance.  The  army  under  his  command  now  amounted 
to  8,000  men ;  and  commissioners  were  appointed  to  sec 
them  quartered  in  different  parts  of  Leinster,  within  the 
confederate  boundaries.      O'Neill,    disgusted   Avith   tlie 

^  vapourings  of  the  man  wh  had  been  preferred  to  him, 
letired  to  the  county  Cav  n,  anxiously  watching  the 
progress  of  events. 

Scrupulously  as  the  Irisli  Catholics  observed  the  ces- 
■ation,  it  was  treated  with  contempt  by  Inchiquiu  and 

f  Lord  Broghill  in  the  south.     Early  ^n  July  they  for- 


CONFEDBKATION   OF    KILKEI<fj»^.  (r^ 

warded  letters  to  the  king,  beseeching  hira  to  proclaim 
\he  Irish,  "rebels,"  and  stating  tliat  they  were  resolved 
to  "die  a  thousand  deaths"  sooner  than  condescend  to 
any  peace  with  thera.*  They  then  set  fortli  that  their 
quarters,  which  extended  from  Youghal  to  Mogeely,  and 
thence  to  Cork,  had  been  pillaged  by  the  Catholics,  who 
were  intent  on  prejudicing  the  royal  cause.  The  par- 
liament seconded  Inchiquin's  designs,  as  it  did  those  of 
Munroe  in  the  north.  One  Mathews,  a  friar,  was  ac- 
cused of  a  design  to  seize  the  city  of  Cork,  and  Inchi- 
quin  caused  him  to  be  tried,  and  soon  after  executed ; 
nor  did  this  miscreant  content  himself  with  these  atro- 
cities—aping the  pharasaical  cant  of  the  parliament,  he 
justified  all  his  barbarous  proceedings  by  an  appeal  to 
his  religious  sentiments,  which  taught  him  that  "he 
was  acting  for  the  gospel,  and  that  if  he  died  for  it,  he 
should  be  held  as  a  perfect  martyr,  "f  Early  in  August 
he  collected  a  large  body  of  troops,  and  expelled  all  the 
Catholic  inhabitants  out  of  Cork,  Youghal,  and  Kin- 
sale.  J  The  parliament  applauded  the  act,  gave  him 
promise  of  supplies,  and  hinted  that  he  might  be  ap- 
pointed to  the  presidency  of  Munster.  It  was  idle  to 
think  that  the  plundered  and  persecuted  inhabitants 
would  not  resent  these  cruelties  ;  and  yet  such  was  the 
anxiety  of  the  supreme  council  for  the  inviolate  observ- 
ance of  the  cessation,  that  they  ordered  Lieutenant- 
General  Purcell  to  punish  those  who  had  been  guilty  of 
the  slightest  infraction.  Ormond  was  importuned  by  the 
confederates  to  enforce  the  obedience  of  Munroe  and 
Inchiquin  ;  but  he  was  secretly  encouraging  the  conduct 
of  those  rebels,  and  rejoiced  at  every  misery  which  befel 
the  Catholics. 

And  yet,  in  the  midst  of  these  multiplied  troubles,  the 
confederates  were  not  unmindful  of  the  promises  which 
they  had  given  to  aid  the  king.  It  is  true  that  the  im- 
poverished state  of  the  kingdom  would  not  allow  them 
to  raise  such  an  enormous  sum  as  they  had  promised  to 
advance ;  but  they  sedulously  endeavoured  to  forward 


»  Borlase,  p.  146. 

t  Inchiquin's  letter  to  the  parliament,  in  Eorlase,  p.  149. 
i  '•  Allowing  them  to  take  no  more  of  tlieir  goods  with  them  than 
rhat  they  could  carry  on  tlieir  backs."'— Jorte*  Orm. 


90  CCNFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNT. 

all  t]iey  could  through  the  agency  of  Onnond.  Th© 
♦troops  which  they  had  guaranteed  to  raise  for  Montrose 
were  tiiree  months  waiting  for  an  opportunity  of  cross* 
jng  the  sea,  while  the  parliament  sliips  were  watching  to 
hitercept  them.  Lord  Antrim,  liowever,  contrived  to 
embark  2,500  men  at  Waterford  and  other  ports,  and, 
though  it  be  a  digression,  we  may  not  overlook  their  ser- 
vices.* 

These  men  Avere  commanded  by  a  Catholic — Alexan- 
der M'Donnell,  alias  Colkitto.  When  they  arrived  in 
^  Scotland,  within  Argyle's  bounds,  they  marched  to  Cas- 
tleblair,  in  Athol,  where  they  were  joined  by  Montrose, 
"  who  went  on  foot,  with  his  target  and  pike."  On  the 
1st  of  September  they  were  reinforced  by  the  bowmen 
under  Lord  Kilpunt,  and  encountered  the  Covenanters, 
who  had  an  army  of  8,000  foot  and  800  horse,  at  St. 
JohnstoAvn.  The' Covenanters  j  were  three  or  four  to 
*•  one,  buff  the  Irish  routed  them  with  such  fearful  effect 
"  that  men  might  have  walked  upon  dead  bodies  to  the 
town,  being  two  miles  long  from  the  place  where  the 
battle  Avas  pitched."  On  the  13th  of  the  same  month 
they  defeated  3,000  foot  and  500  horse,  with  three  pieces 
of  cannon,  at  Aberdeen.  They  then  marched  to  Glen- 
garry and  Inverloughy  Castle,  which  they  stormed,  rout- 
ing Argyle  and  Aghenbracke,  and  taking  their  stan- 
dards, arms,  and  ammunition.  J 

Such  signal  valour  made  due  impression  on  the  king, 
who  did  not  fail  to  commend  it  in  his  despatches  to  Or- 
mond.  Indeed,  he  could  have  had  no  more  convincing 
reason  for  impressing  on  the  mind  of  his  lieutenant-ge- 
neral the  necessity  of  a  speedy  accommodation  Avith  his 

•  It  is  Arorth  remarking  that  Clarendon,  Avho  disparages  Lord  An- 
trim, has  drawn  an  over-coloui-ed  picture  of  Clanricarde.  Ko  one. 
doubts  the  loyalty  of  the  latter;  hut  viewing  him  as  an  Irishman,  he 
seems  to  have  had  little  or  no  feeling  of  nationality.  On  the  strength 
of  Clarendon's  statement,  Mr.  Jloore,  in  the  fourth  volume  of  his  His 
tory  of  Ireland,  calls  Antrim  "  an  absurd  lord."  Clarendon  hated  An- 
trim personallj',  as  appears  from  Carte's  Oim  ,  vol.  ii.,  p.  "28'2. 

+  One's  hand  must  tremble  in  transcribing  the  battle-cry  of  th&ia 
ffinatics;  but  it  is  an  evident  proof  of  the  frenzy  to  which  that  horriil 
eatlmsiasm,  so  often  mistaken  for  religion,  can  rais3  men's  minda. 
"  Jesus  and  no  quarter"  were  the  ^tird.-s  uttered  by  the  Covenantors  in 
this  engagement  with  Montrose. — Graing.  biograph.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  245. 

%  Collection  of  Original  Papers,  fouftd  among  the  Duke  of  Ormond'l 
Bftpers,  vol.  i.,  p.  73. 


CONPEDERATIOH    OF    KILKENNf.  5l 

Irish  Catholic  subjects ;  and  it  is  likely  that  his  desire 
for  concluding  a  peace  with  them  originated  in  the  con- 
sideration of  the  effectual  services  of  the  men  who  hum- 
bled these  stern  Covenanters  on  their  own  mountains. 
Ere  we  close  this  rapid  view  of  the  events  of  this  year,  it 
is  necessary  to  observe  that  Urban  VIIL,  wlio  had  so 
cordially  befriended  the  confederates,  died  early  in  July, 
1644,  and  was  succeeded  by  Innocent  X.,  on  the  15th  of 
September  of  the  same  year. 

The  time  for  the  expiration  of  the  truce  was  now  ap- 
proaching, and  the  general  assembly,  which  met  in  Au- 
gust, appointed  commissioners  to  treat  with  Ormond 
for  a  renewal.  Amongst  those  named  to  manage 
it  was  Thomas  Fleming,  Catliohc  Archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin ;  but  as  Ormond  objected  to  him,  Muskerry,  Sir 
R.  Talbot,  Browne,  D'Arcy,  Dillon,  and  Plunket,  set 
out  on  the  31st  of  August  for  Dublin.  Upon  their  ar- 
rival  the  cessation  was  renewed  to  Deccinber  1,  and  af- 
terwards  continued  to  a  longer  time.  * 


CHAPTER  V. 

When  the  confederate  commissioners  returned  to  Kil- 
kenny, Charles  I.  was  congratulating  himself  on  the  bril- 
liant victories  achieved  by  Colkitto  and  Montrose  in 
Scotland.  The  hapless  monarch  naturally  began  to  think 
that  nothing  could  prove  so  conducive  to  liis  interests  as 
a  peace  witli  the  Irish  Catholics ;  but,  well  aware  as 
he  was  of  their  oath  of  association,  he  must  have  in- 
wardly grieved  at  the  idea  of  being  obliged  to  purchase 
it  at  such  a  price  as  the  free  and  public  exercise  of  the 
-  Catholic  religion.  Yet,  in  truth,  the  confederates,  as  it 
■^will  appear,  were  the  only  loyal  subjects  in  Ireland  on 
whose  willing  liearts  he  could  place  true  reliance.  Dis- 
affection was  contagious,  and  Inchiquin  was  already  tam- 
*pering  with  Lord  Esmond,  the  governor  of  Duncanaon, 
and  persuading  him  to  declare  for  the  parliament,  or  sur* 

•  Ciirte,  i.,  51G. 


CONFEDERATION    O?    KILKENNV. 

render  that  strong  place  to  their  forces.  As  to  himself, 
he  had  entered  into  a  truce  with  General  Purcell,  which 

,  was  not  to  expire  till  the  10th  of  April  following.  This 
act,  as  precipitate  as  it  was  unwise,  had  heen  done  to 
propitiate  Ornicnd,  who  had  an  overweening  notion  of 
Murrogh  O'Brien.  The  consequence  was,  that  he  had 
time  to  collect  forces,  and  strengtlien  himself  in  the 
towns  out  of  which  lie  had  expelled  the  Catholics.  The 
truce  which  had  heen  renewed  with  Ornrond,  left  the 

,  supreme  council  free  to  look  closely  into  their  circum- 
stances ;  and  they  resolved  to  send  their  agents  beyond 
the  seas  to  the  courts  of  the  Catholic  princes.  *•  Their 
design  was,  that  tliey  might  know  tliemselves  what  they 
had  to  trust  to,  and  what  succours  they  might  really  de- 

"pend  on  from  abroad;  and  that,  in  case  they  sliould 
be  forced  to  serve  God  again  in  holes  and  corners,  the 
world  might  know  they  had  laboured  all  they  could  to 
prevent  that  misfortune."  *  For  this  purpose  Father 
Hugh  Bourke  was  sent  to  the  court  of  Madrid,  to  solicit 
the  King  of  Spain  ;  Belling,  the  secretary  of  the  council, 
had  orders  to  proceed  to  the  Vatican,  to  congratulate  In- 
nocent X.,  and  to  visit  the  Italian  princes,  and  the  Mar- 
quess of  Castle-Rodrigo,  governor  of  the  low  countries. 
Hartegan,  a  priest,  remained  as  their  envoy  at  the  French 
court.  The  articles  of  the  treaty  with  Ormond  were  re- 
ligiously observed ;  and  towards  the  end  of  December, 
the  king  wrote  to  the  lord  lieutenant  in  the  following 
terms : — "I  have  thought  to  give  you  this  order,  to  seek 
to  renew  the  cessation  for  a  year ;  for  which  you  shall 
promise  the  Irish,  if  you  can  have  it  no  cheaper,  to  join 

V  with  them  against  the  Scots  and  Inchiquin."  f    Ormond, 

*  however,  did  not  attach  much  importance  to  these  orders, 
and  was  in  no  mood  to  oppose  either  Munroe  or  Inchi- 
quin ;  on  the  contrary,  he  had  already  hinted  to  liis  par- 
tisans in  the  council  that  he  meditated  a  peat  e  which 
was  calculated  to  prove  advantageous  to  them.  But  the 
flagitious  acts  passed  in  the  parliament  towards  the  end 
of  September  caused  the  supreme  council  to  take  such 
Bteps  as  were  necessary  for  their  immediate  security. 
Unprotected  as  the  coast  was  at  this  moment,  they  knew 
not  how  soon  a  descent  might  be  made  by  their  enemies; 

•  Carte's  Oitn.,  L,  529.  ♦  Eeliq.  Sacra.  Carol. 


( 


CONFSDI  BATrorf    OF    KILKENNY. 

and  the  orders  to  execute  all  Irish-born  and  papists  whz 
might  be  found  upon  the  seas,  struck  salutary  terror  into 
iiheir  hearts.  The  most  important  seaports  then  in  their 
possession  were  Watcrford,  Wexford,  and  Gal  way.  The 
loss  of  any  of  tliera  must  have  done  incalculable  mischief; 
and  a  rumour  reached  them  that  Esmond  was  about  to  sur, 
render  Duncannon.  About  the  beginning  of  January, 
Preston  was  ordered  to  blockade  the  fortress ;  but  this 
proving  too  slow  a  process,  he  resolved  to  convert  the 
blockade  into  a  siege.  The  weather  being  extremely 
bad,  and  a  whirlwind  prevailing,  "  which  blew  the  prim- 
ing off  the  guns,  filling  the  pans  with  dust,"  seriously 
retarded  the  operations  of  the  besiegers.*  A  flotilla  was 
ordered  by  the  parliament  to  succour  the  place,  but  such 
■was  the  perseverance  of  the  confederates  that  they  finally 
drove  out  the  garrison,  after  ten  weeks'  siege.  During 
this  time  they  expended  19,000  lbs.  of  powder,  f  and  were 
ably  helped  by  the  inhabitants  of  Hoss  and  Wexford. 
Esmond,  who  was  old  and  blind,  died  soon  after,  and 
thus  escaped  a  punishment  which  his  disloyalty  amply 
deserved.  Whilst  the  confederates  were  engaged  at  this 
siege,  the  king  sent  an  order  to  Ormond  to  conclude  a 
peace  with  the  confederates.  The  general  assembly, 
which  was  then  sitting,  immediately  despatched  Sir  Ni. 
cholas  Plunket  and  Lord  Muskerry  to  confer  vrith  him, 
on  the  6th  of  March,  1645.  Ormond,  who  was  fully 
empowered  by  the  king  to  abrogate  the  penal  statutes, 
artfully  concealed  the  royal  orders,  and  referred  the 
commissioners  to  the  decision  of  his  majesty,  who  had 
determined  that  these  obnoxious  statutes  should  not  be 
put  in  execution  after  the  conclusion  of  a  peace.  He 
ihen  laboured  sedulously  to  convince  them  that  a  sus- 
pension of  Poyning's  law  could  not  be  conducive  to  their 
interests.  Amongst  some  new  graces  to  which  he  yielded, 
the  Catholics  were  to  be  released  from  all  the  king's  rents 
an^  revenues  which  they  had  received  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war,  with  an  abolition  of  all  outlawries,  at- 
tainders, and  indictments  against  any  of  them.  The 
king,  he  assured  them,  was  willing  to  confer  all  places 
of  trust  and  honour  indiscriminately  on  Catholic  and 

•  Belling.  276.  1  Carta,  i.  538. 


H 


CONFEDKUATION    OK    KILKENNY. 


Protestant  subjects;  but  he  indignantly  denied  that 
ne  liad  any  notion  of  employing?  an  equal  number  of 
bo  th  parties.  Witb  this  unsatisfaetor}^  arrangement, 
the  delegates  hastened  back  to  Kilkenny,  to  report 
tlie  result  of  their  conference  to  the-  assembly — 
But  as  the  lord  lieutenant  made  no  guarantee  for 
religious  immunities,  save  such  as  the  king  might 
be  subsequently  induced  to  cede,  the  great  body  of  the 
assembly  would  not  subscribe  a  peace  which  did  not 
secui'c  the  public  exercise  of  religion.  Scarampi  and 
the  bishops  would  not  make  any  compromise,  autl  as  tlie 
peace  on  which  Ormond  reckoned  made  no  real 
provisions  for  the  hereditary  possession  of  the  Catholics 
of  Ulster,  a  great  majority  of  the  confederates  would 
not  hearken  to  the  wily  artifices  of  the  viceroy.  And 
no  wonder  that  such  terms  sliould  be  rejected  witli 
scorn.  The  clergy,  who  exercised  the  most  unbounded 
influence  over  their  flocks,  were  secretly  informed  of 
the  king's  intention  to  grant  their  most  sanguine 
demands,  and,  notwithstanding  the  unseeudy  haste  of 
i*lunket  and  Muskerry  to  negotiate  a  peace  with 
Ormond,  contrived  to  obstruct  it.  But,  although  tlie 
commissioners,  who  favoured  Ormond's  views,  desisted 
from  pressing  it  in  the  assembly,  they  managed  to 
carry  on  an  under-hand  negotiation  with  the  lord  lieu- 
tenant in  Dublin.  Througliout  the  entire  summer  tliis 
unhappy  question  furnished  matter  for  acrimonious 
discussion,  and  strengthened  the  animosities  which  had 
grown  up  between  the  lords  of  the  Pale  and  the  "  old 
Irish,"  at  the  conclusion  of  the  armistice  in  1643. 

But  it  is  necessary  to  relinquish  this  important 
matter  for  awhile,  in  order  to  witness  events  of 
another  character.  The  truce  with  Inchiquin  expired 
on  the  lOth  of  April,  and  the  confederates  were  unani- 
mous in  tlieir  resolve  to  destroy  him  and  his  adherent*. 
For  this  purpose  they  ordered  Castlehaven  to  proceed 
into  Munster  with  an  army  of  5,000  foot  and  I,6(X> 
horse.  In  a  very  short  time  he  reduced  all  the  castles 
in  tlifi  baronies  of  Imokilly  and  Barrymore.  Cappo. 
quin,  Droniane,  Mitchelstown,  Castlelyons,  Mallow» 
Doncraile,  Liscarroll,  and  Lismore  surrendered  on 
articles.     He  next  reduced  Rostellan,   and  in  it  took 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY.         95 

Colonel  H.  O'Brien*  and  Colonel  Courtenay.  Inchi- 
qain  could  not  resist,  and  was  obliged  to  shut  himself 
up  in  Cork,  pursued  by  Castlehaven,  who  wasted  the 
country  to  the  very  walls  of  the  city.  He  then  besieged 
Youghal,  but  owing  to  some  misunderstandings  between 
himself  and  Preston,  he  did  not  act  with  vigour,  and 
thus  left  the  place  in  possession  of  Lord  Broghill,  who 
had  got  a  supply  of  arms  and  ammunition  from  the 
parliament.  Towards  the  beginning  of  September 
Castlehaven  returned  to  Kilkenny  after  disbanding  his 
forces. 

The  parliament  in  England,  hearing  of  these  move- 
ments in  the  south,  lost  no  time  in  strengthening 
Munroe's  forces  in  Ulster.  Having  nominated  young 
Coote  to  the  presidency  of  Connaught,  they  sent  over 
£10,000  to  the  covenanters,  with  a  considerable 
supply  of  clothing.  On  the  8th  of  June  Sir  Charles 
Coote  presented  letters  from  a  committee  of  both  liouses, 
desiring  Munroe  to  send  500  men  into  Connaught,  who 
were  to  be  joined  by  Sir  F.  Hamilton's  regiment,  in 
order  to  reduce  Sligo.  They  complied,  aft^r  some 
hesitation,  and  determined  to  march  a  body  of  4,000 
foot  and  500  horse  into  the  counties  of  Mayo  and 
Galway.  Their  progress  was  marked  by  carnage  and 
burnings.  Sir  Eobert  Stewart  took  possession  of 
Sligo,  and  Coote  set  about  raising  1,400  horse,  in  order 
to  overrun  the  entire  country.  Clanricarde,  who  had 
been  appointed  president  by  Orraond,  could  offer  but 
little  resistance.  His  apathy  in  the  earlier  period  of 
the  war  had  so  diminished  his  influence,  that  the  people 
had  little  regard  for  him,  and  Ormond  beheld  the 
critical  position  of  his  friend  with  a  stoic's  indifference. 
Clanricarde,  however,  got  about  2,500  men  to  oppose 
the  overwhelming  force  which  was  now  devastating  the 
cor.ntry,  and  appointed  Lord  Taaffe  to  the  command  ; 
but  he  effected  nothing  of  importance,  his  efforts  being 
confined  to  the  reduction  of  such  minor  places  aa 
Castlecoote    and  Jamestown.      The  supreme  council, 


•  This  mxn  c«used  a  Roman  Catholic  dean  to  be  hanged  a  shorl 
time  befc-ri,  .vid  betrayed  his  tnist  at  Warcham  in  England,  wnicli 
hf-    jlsldid  to  th'i  paaiiament  forces.    He  was  brother  to  Inchiquia. 


Sff  CONFEDERATION  Ot  KILKENNY. 

ilarmed  for  the  safety  of  Gahvay,  ordered  Sir  James 
Dillon  and  Malachy  O'Kelly,  archbishop  of  Tuam,  to 
.Irive  the  Scotch  and  English  out  of  Sligo ;  and  they 
attacked  the  place  on  Sunday,  October  26th,  with  a  force 
f;ir  inferior  to  their  enemies.  They  succeeded  in  getting 
mto  the  town,  b-at  word  was  brought  that  a  large 
forc^  was  now  coming  to  succour  the  garrison.  The 
confederates  took  alarm  and  fled,  pursued  by  thp 
Scotch.  Malachy,  archbishop  of  Tuam  fell  into  their 
hands,  and  was  brutally  murdered,*  after  quarter 
given.  The  noblest  Catholics  of  the  province  were 
either  slain  or  made  prisoners,  and  Sligo  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  parliament. 

Now,  long  before  these  events  occurred,  the  king, 
feeling  his  difficulties  daily  increasing,  and  well 
knowing  that  Ormond  was  so  zealous  a  Protestant  as 
to  be  aijsolutely  averse  to  granting  the  Irish  confede- 
rates such  terms  as  they  insisted  upon,  determined  to 
send  them  a  Catholic  envoy,  in  the  person  of  Lord 
Herbert,  afterwards  Earl  of  Glamorgan.  He  arrived 
in  Dublin  about  the  end  of  July  or  beginning  of 
August.t  Having  conferred  with  the  lord  lieutenant, 
Glamorgan  soon  after  proceeded  to  Kilkenny,  where  the 
supreme  council  was  sitting,  and  discussing  the  terms 
proposed  by  the  lord  lieutenant.  Glamorgan  had  been 
empowered  by  the  king  to  treat  with  the  confederates, 
"and  also  to  levy  any  number  of  men  in  Ireland  and 
other  parts  beyond  sea,  commanding  of  them,  putting 
officers  over  them,  governors  in  forts  and  towns,  and  giving 
him  power  to  receive  the  king's  rents."  He,  therefore, 
in  virtue  of  a  commission  given  him  by  his  majesty, 

♦  Bruodin,  in  the  Ilib.  Z)om.,p.  652,  states,  that  the  archbishop  was 
eut  into  bits  by  the  Scots. — "  In  minutas  sectus  est  partes,  abscise 
brachio  dcxtero,  etiam  post  datam  fidem."  Mr.  Hardiman,  in  the 
History  of  Galway,  p.  12o,  has  this  curious  note  on  the  subject: — . 
"  Here  is  a  true  tragidie  of  the  unhappie  expedition  of  ShgoCf 
viK.  : — Last  Sunday  our  forces,  after  t.iking  the  abbie  of  SlJgoe^ 
and  hearing  of  tlie  approach  of  Coote  with  a  strong  relief,  began  to 
march  bacli,  and  though  they  beat  the  enemie  that  day  and  the  day 
before,  yet,  then,  a  few  horse  of  the  said  enemie  put  them  most 
shamefully  to  flight,  in  which  flight  (proh  dolor)  my  Lord  Archbishop, 
Father  'I'eige  Conel,  Father  Augustine  Higgin,  with  other  clergymen, 
were  killed  and  pittiftillie  mangled,  and  so  left  ia  the  way  aeof 
Sligoe." 

^  Traosactlciui  of  Glazaorgan,  pp.  60,  61>  67. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KlliKENKT.  8? 

entered  into  a  treaty  with  the  confederate  bodj,  by 
which  it  was  agreed,  and  accorded  by  the  said  Earl,  on 
the  part  of  his  majesty,  and  Richard  Lord  Viscount 
'VCountgarret,  Donogh  Lord  Muskerry,  as  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  said  confederate  Catholics  : — 

*'  I.— That  all  the  professors  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion  in  Ireland,  shall  enjoy  the  free  and  public  use 
arid  exercise  of  their  religion. 

"  II.— That  they  shall  hold  and  enjoy  all  the  churches 
by  them  enjoyed,  or  by  them  possessed,  at  any  time 
since  the  23rd  of  October  1641,  and  all  other  churches 
in  the  said  kingdom,  other  than  such  as  are  now 
actually  enjoyed  by  his  majesty's  Protestant  subjects. 

"  III — That  all  the  Roman  Catholics  shall  be  ex- 
empted  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Protestant  clergy, 
and  that  the  Catholic  clergy  shall  not  be  punished  or 
molested  for  the  exercise  of  their  jurisdiction  over 
their  respective  flocks.  And,  also,  that  an  act  shall  be 
passed  in  the  next  parliament  for  securing  to  them  all 
the  king's  concessions. 

**  IV. — Thattlie  Marquess  of  Ormond,  or  any  others, 
shall  not  disturb  the  professors  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion  in  possession  of  the  articles  above  specified. 

"  VI — The  Earl  of  Glamorgan  engages  his  majesty's 
word  for  the  performance  of  these  articles. 

♦<  VII — That  the  public  faith  of  the  kingdom  shall  be 
engaged  unto  the  said  Earl  by  the  commissioners  of 
the  confederate  Catholics,  for  sending  10,000  men  by 
order  and  declaration  of  the  general  assembly  at 
Kilkenny,  armed,  the  one-half  with  nmskets,  and  the 
other  half  with  pikes,  to  serve  his  majesty  in  England, 
Wales,  or  Scotland,  under  the  command  of  the  said 
Glamorgan,  as  lord  general  of  the  said  army  ;  which 
army  is  to  be  kept  together  in  one  entire  body,  and  all 
other  the  officers  and  commanders  of  the  said  army  are 
to  be  named  by  the  supreme  council  of  the  said  eon- 
federate  Catholics,  or  by  such  others  as  the  general 
assembly  of  the  said  confederate  Catholics  of  Ireland 
shall  entrust  therewith." 

When  these  articles  were  signed  by  the  supreme  council 
and  Glamorgan,  the  general  assembly,  on  the  28th  of 
August  "ordered  and  declared  that  their  union  and 
oath  of  association  shall   reoaia  firm  and  inviolable. 


95  COUFEDERATION   OF   KILKERITT. 

and  in  fall  strength,  in  all  points,  and  to  all  purpoacft 
until  the  articles  of  the  intended  peace  shall  be  ratified 
in  parliament,  notwithstanding  any  proclamation  of 
the  peace."  But,  in  order  to  avoid  the  inconvenience 
which  the  publication  of  these  concessions  might  pro- 
duce to  the  king,  it  was  thought  proper  to  be  deferred 
till  the  forces  designed  for  his  majesty  should  arrive  in 
England,  when  he  might  more  confidently  avow  and  con- 
firm tlie  concessions  made,  by  his  authority,  by  the  Earl 
Glamorgan."* 

Such  were  the  terms  offered  on  the  king's  behalf  by 
Glamorgan,  copies  of  which  had  been  already  sub- 
mitted to  the  archbishops  and  other  leading  members  of 
the  confederates.  Ten  weeks  Avere  spent  -  in  Dublin 
debating  with  Ormond  on  the  articles  which  had  nothing 
to  do  witli  this,  which  may  be  regarded  as  of  a  spiritual 
nature.  But  the  delegates  from  the  supreme  council 
had  likewise  endeavoured  to  gain  from  the  lord  lieu- 
tenant some  concessions  in  favour  of  their  religion, 
as  he  had  the  public  authority  of  his  majesty,  but, 
not  so  ample  a  one,  in  that  respect,  as  the  Earl. 

The  commissioners  were  charged  to  hear  of  nothing 
T^hich  was  contrary  to,  or  inconsistent  with,  the  private 
concessions  made  by  the  Earl.  But  the  terms  which 
the  lord  lieutenant  would  grant,  especially  with  regard 
to  religion,  were  by  no  means  such  as  were  satisfac- 
tory to  them.  While  these  matters  were  being  nego- 
tiated at  Dublin  and  Kilkenny,  anotlier  event  took 
place  Avliich  aggravated  the  loss  of  Sligo.  Towards 
the  end  of  tlie  year  a  parliament  flotilla  sailed  up  the 
Shannon,  and  the  Earl  of  Thomond,  who  remained 
neutral,  and  was  not  molested  by  the  confederates, 
(as  it  would  appear  that  their  orders  had  been  rescinded,) 
gave  possession  of  his  castle  of  Bunrattyf  to  the  par- 
liament's troops.  The  result  was,  however,  in  one 
respect  propitious,  for  Limerick  abandoned  its  neutra- 
•iity,  and  declared  for  the  confederates. 

But  it  is  necessary  that  we  follow  the  secretary. 
Belling,  to  Rome,  and  introduce  one  who  was  destined 

•  Glairorgan's  Transactions,  p.  74. 

t  Bellinp  describes  Bunratty  as  "  a  noWe  antient  strncture,  reput«id 
ctrons:  Avhea  engines  of  batten-  were  nets?  frequent."   -yanxiiivc  &' 


CONFEDERATION   OV   KILKENNY.  99 

to  8.ct  a  conspicuous  part  in  these  important  and 
varying  scenes.  Belling  reached  Rome  about  the  end 
of  February  1645,  and  was  presented  to  his  Holiness 
Innocent  X.,  by  Father  Luke  Wadding,  and  received 
as  the  accredited  envoy  of  the  confederate  Catholics. 

The  Pontiff — who  is  described  by  jMuratori*  as  of 
rough  and  repellent  aspeoi,  yet,  still  of  majestic 
manner,  was  suspected  to  be  hostile  to  the  policy  of 
the  French  court,  and  of  a  strong  leaning  to  the  interests 
of  Spain — succeeded  in  removing  the  apprehensions  of 
both  parties  ;  and  now  seeing  the  war  which  had  so  long 
desolated  the  Continent  drawing  to  a  close,  scarcely 
needed  the  memorial  of  the  Irish  Catholics  to  turn  his 
attention  to  their  then  far  off  region.  But  in  applying 
to  the  court  of  Rome,  it  is  quite  evident  that  they 
calculated  on  finding  unity  and  power  in  obedience 
to  the  supreme  chief  of  that  religion  which  was 
their  only  common  bond,  disunited  as  they  were 
in  every  other  respect.  His  Holiness  having  heard 
from  Belling  the  actual  state  of  affairs,  determined  to 
forward  to  Ireland  considerable  supplies  of  arms  and 
money,  and  while  the  secretary  was  at  the  court  of 
Florence  he  resolved  to  send  to  the  confederates 
a  minister  with  the  high  and  influential  dignity  of 
nuncio  extraordinary. 

V  He  first  selected  Luigi  Omodei,  whom  he  afterwards 
made  a  cardinal,  but  in  consequence  of  the  objections  of 
Mazarin  against  the  appointment  of  a  prelate  who,  as  a 
IVIilanese,  was  a  subject  of  Spain,  he  substituted  John 
Baptist  Rinuccini,  who,  being  of  Tuscan  origin,  should 
be  regarded  as  belonging  to  a  neutral  power.  Tliis  dis- 
tinguished prelate  was  born  at  Rome,  on  the  15th  of 
September,  1592.  From  his  earliest  years  he  manifested 
a  decided  predilection  for  the  ecclesiastical  profession, 
and  commenced  liis  studies  under  the  tutelage  of  the  Je- 
suits. In  his  eighteenth  year  he  went  to  Bologna,  and 
thence  to  Perugia,  to  study  canon  law  ;  and  in  the  latter 
city,  when  but  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  received  hig 
(ioetor's  degree,  and  Avas  at  the  same  time  elected  a  mem- 
ber cf  the  learned  academy,  "  Delia  Crusca."    He  soon 


•  ^ninll  DTtal-a,  aao.  1644. 


100  COWFZDF.RATION   OF    RILXENNT. 

afterwards  returned  to  Rome,  at  the  desire  of  his  uncle, 
the  Cardinal  Octavian  Bandini ;  and  it  appears  tliatdur. 
ing  his  sojourn  in  the  Eternal  City,  immoderate  appli- 
cation  to  studies  of  a  varied  nature  made  such  fearful 
havoc  of  his  health,  that  he  never  afterwards  recovered 
that  strength  and  corporeal  energy  -which  render  life  so 
dear,  and  sustain  it  in  great  and  arduous  trials.  * 

To  rep.air  a  constitution  which  had  thus  early  suffered, 
he  retired  for  a  while  to  the  patrimony  of  his  fathers,  en 
the  banks  of  tht  Arno ;  but  quiet  and  seclusion  ill  ac 
cording  with  an  active  mind,  he  retraced  his  steps  to 
Rome,  where  he  practised  law  under  Monsignor  Buratti, 
a  celebrated  canonist  in  the  court  of  Gregory  XV. 

In  Rome,  as  elsewhere,  he  earned  considerable  cele- 
brity, and  was  appointed  by  his  holiness  clerk  of  the 
chamber,  and  M'as  soon  afterwards  nominated  one  of  his 
domestic  prelates,  and  secretary  to  the  congregation  of 
rites.  On  the  demise  of  Gregory  XV.,  Urban  VIII.  was 
called  to  the  vacant  throne,  and  the  successor  of  Rinuc- 
cini's  first  friend  and  patron,  to  evince  the  high  esteem 
he  entertained  for  his  piety  and  talents,  conferred  on  him 
the  archiepiscopal  see  of  Fermo,  in  the  marches  of  An- 
cona,  then  vacant  by  the  death  of  Monsignor  Dini,  which 
took  place  in  the  year  16*25. 

His  biographer  informs  us  that  his  conduct  in  the  ar- 
chiepiscopal see  was  distinguished  by  the  most  exem- 
plar}' piety  and  consummate  wisdom  ;  and,  as  a  proof  of 
his  devoted  attachment  to  the  flock  over  which  he  pre- 
sided, we  learn  from  the  same  authority  that  he  de- 
clined the  more  exalted  dignity  of  the  metropolitan  see 
of  Florence,  which  he  was  invited  to  accept  by  the  pon- 
tiff himself  and  the  Grand  Duke  Ferdinand  II.  in  the 
year  1631. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  enter  into  a  critical  analysis 
of  the  character  of  the  nuncio,  Avhich  should  be  learned 
from  the  history  of  the  events  in  which  he  took  such  a 
prominent  part.  Were  we  to  place  implicit  reliance  on 
the  represetitations  of  his  biographer,  we  might  not  he- 
Bitate  to  pronounce  him  a  man  of  genuine  piety  aitd 
/  g^eat  political  acumen.     Without  pausing,  however,  to 

•  Aiaczl,  p.  10. 


^ 


COICFKDERATIOII    O?  KlLKEMNy.  ''v 

examine  the  portraiture  which  is  given  of  him  by  sue) 
interested  parties  as  Walsh  and  Callaghan,  •  we  ma) 
be  allowed  to  borrow  an  eulogium  from  one  who  cannol 
be  accused  of  partiality  to  Rinucoini,  which  would  reflect 
honour  on  the  character  of  any  man,  and  is,  perhaps 
rarely  deserved  by  those  placed  in  similar  circura- 
■stances  : — "  He  Avas,"  says  Carte,  f  "  regular  and  eved 
austere  in  his  life  and  conversation,  and  far  from  anj 
taint  of  avarice  or  corruption." 

Having  received  his  instructions  from  Pope  Innocent 
\.,  he  set  out  from  Rome  early  in  the  year  1645,  and 
proceeded  to  Elorence,  where  he  was  joined  by  the  se- 
cretary, Belling,  who  was  so  much  astonished  on  learn- 
ing that  a  nuncio  had  been  appointed  for  Ireland  that 

/^  for  three  days  he  was  unable  to  speak.  Passing  rapidly 
through  Genoa  and  Marseilles,  he  arrived  in  Paris  on 
the  22nd  of  May.  According  to  the  instructions  wliich 
he  had  received,  he  was  led  to  believe  that  he  should 
hiive  an  opportunity  of  negotiating  personally  with  the 
Queen  of  England ;  %  but  on  his  arrival  at  Paris  circum- 
stances transpired  which  totally  removed  the  possibility 
of  a  personal  interview.  Sir  Dudley  Wyat  had  been  sent 
to  Paris  to  communicate  to  the  queen  and  the  French 

Z.  court  the  news  of  the  overthrow  of  the  royal  army  ; 
and  Rinuccini,  seizing  the  opportunity  of  impressing  on 
her  majesty's  mind  the  necessity  of  making  terms  with 
the  confederate  Catholics,  offered  to  visit  her  in  person, 
and  in  his  ministerial  capacity.  She,  however,  refused 
to  receive  him,  alleging  that  if  she  did  so  she  woul  J  vio- 
late the  English  la^,  which  forbade  her  to  recognise  him 
and  the  confederate  government  of  which  he  was  tlie  ac- 
credited agent.  Indeed,  it  is  evident  that  some  inte- 
rested parties,  who  had  no  sympathy  with  the  Irish,  se- 
dulously laboured  to  prejudice  the  queen's  mind  against 
the  nuncio  and  the  Irish  themselves.  She  had  been 
taught  to  believe  that  the  object  of  Rinuecini's  raissiou 
■^•A.%  to  usurp  the  prerogatives  of  the  crown  ;  and  the  im- 
pression does  not  appear  to  have  been  wholly  efiaced, 
notwithstanding  his  solemn  declaration  that  the  pope 


*  Tho  author  of  the  Vindicto  Hibemonun. 

t  Onn.  i.  558. 

i  She  hod  bee^  /crc»d  to  €iy  oat  of  Eaglaud  some  time 


1U3  CONi'EWEUATlON    O?    KJLKSNrTjr. 

was  actuated  by  no  other  motives  than  hi,v  ardent  desiivj 
of  protecting  the  Catholic  religion,  and  furnishing  hi« 
majesty  with  those  aids  which  he  required  to  sustain  him 
against  the  faction  which  had  vowed  the  destruction  of 
Ireland. 

A  prey  to  grief  and  despair,  the  queen  retired  from 
Paris  to  St,  Germains,  where  the  disastrous  intelligence 
of  the  king's  defeat  at  Naseby  was  brought  her ;  and 
changing  her  opinion  of  the  confederate  Catholics,  whom 
she  hitherto  designated  with  the  ftdse  epithet  of  "  rebels," 
she  determined,  if  possible,  to  conclude  a  peace,  which 
would  leave  them  free  to  send  troops  into  England. 
She  sent  to  inform  the  nuncio  that  she  regretted  that  she 
could  not  receive  him  without  the  king's  consent,  and 
earnestly  desired  that  he  would  exert  himself  to  conclude 
a  peace  which  would  serve  to  release  her  royal  consort 
from  the  dangers  which  were  impending.  Sir  Dudley 
Wyat  was  the  person  selected  to  carry  on  this  indirect 
negotiation.  He  insisted,  on  the  part  of  the  queen,  that 
the  peace  should  be  concluded  at  Paris,  and  asserted  that 
she  was  ready  to  procure  its  confirmation  on  the  part  of 
her  husband,  provided  the  nuncio  sent  to  Ireland  to  have 
it  ratified  by  the  supreme  council. 

Wyat  insisted  on  the  necessity  of  speedily  coming  to 
an  arrangement.  He  argued  that  the  king's  condition 
was  desperate,  and  that  if  he  were  obliged  to  make 
terms  with  the  parliamentary  faction,  the  ruin  of  Ire- 
land would  be  inevitable,  as  it  was  utterly  hopeless  to 
think  of  resisting  the  combined  powers  of  England  and 
Scotland. 

To  these  entreaties  on  the  part  of  the  queen  the  nuncio 
replied  that  he  had  nothing  so  much  at  heart  as  the  con- 
clusion of  a  peace  which  would  secure  to  the  Catholics  of 
Ireland  the  free  and  uncontrolled  exercise  of  their  reli- 
gion, and  the  imme  Uate  removal  of  all  the  penal  laws 
by  which  tliey  had  been  so  long  and  so  grievously  af- 
flicted ;  and  that  nothing  could  give  more  heartfelt  sati.^ 
fection  to  the  pope  than  to  learn  he  had  witnessed  the 
conclusion  of  a  peace  which  would  allow  him  to  proceed 
to  Ireland  to  employ  himself  with  the  ecclesiastical  con- 
cern§  of  the  kingdom,  exclusive  of  all  political  interfer-" 
ence ;  but  he  clearly  saw  that  nothing  really  beneficiaJ 
could  result  from  sucli  indirect  negotiation,  and  he  be- 


(20NFEDEKATI0N    OF    KILKENNY.  IC»3 

^n  to  think  that  the  promises  of  the  queen  were  delu- 
jive,  and  only  meant  to  retard  his  departure. 

It  had  been  hinted  that  it  was  the  object  of  the  queen's 
adherents  to  obtain  from  liim  the  supplies  of  arms  and 
money  which  were  destined  for  Ireland,  and  have  them 
transported  for  the  king's  service  into  England ;  and 
Mazarin  suggested  to  him  the  possibility  of  such  an  event, 
at  the  same  time  that  he  deprecated  the  fruitless  expen- 
diture of  those  large  sums  which  had  been  sent  from 
France  for  the  support  of  the  royal  cause. 

He  was,  moreover,  strictly  forbidden  by  Cardinal 
Paufilio  to  consent  to  a  private  interview  with  Henrietta 
Maria,  on  the  groimd  that  he  could  not  uncover  his  head 
to  a  queen  ;  *  and  on  being  informed  that  she  could  not 
receive  him  without  this  mark  of  respect  to  royalty,  he 
was  driven  to  the  alternative  of  employing  Sir  Dudley 
Wyat  and  her  majesty's  chaplain  to  open  this  indirect 
communication  with  her.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  queen  was  determinedly  opposed  to  Einuccini's  land- 
ing in  Ireland,  for  he  informs  us  that  when  be  sent  one 
of  his  retinue,  Dominick  Spinola,  a  Genoese  of  noble 
birth,  to  present  her  with  the  pope's  brief,  she  asserted 
with  considerable  vehemence  that  the  Irish  in  general, 
and  the  secretary.  Belling,  in  particular,  were  anxious 
to  renounce  their  allegiance  to  the  king,  on  plea  of  their 
devotion  to  the  Catholic  religion  ;  nay,  more,  that  Har- 
tegan,  the  agent  of  the  confederates  at  Paris,  had  been 
heard  to  boast  that  the  Irish  were  determined  to  prose- 
cute the  war  to  the  last  extremity,  if  the  terms  on  which 
they  insisted  were  not  fully  confirmed.  In  a  spirit  of 
bitterness,  which  may  readily  be  excused,  when  we  re- 
flect on  the  difficulties  which  then  beset  the  king,  she 
deprecated  the  conduct  of  the  Irish,  "who,"  she  eaid, 
"  seemed  to  rejoice  at  the  reverses  of  her  consort,  when 
they  placed  him  in  such  a  position  as  would  make  him 
yield  to  their  demands,  on  threat  of  their  assistance  be- 
ing withheld."  This,  however,  was  but  the  passion  of 
the  moment,  for,  from  the  correspondence  which  de- 
scribes this  ebullition  of  the  queen's  feelings,  we  learn 
that,  in  a  subsequent  interview  with  Spinola,  she  ex 

•  Card.  Paufllio'8  letter  is  Kmncd&i'a  Correq?^,  450. 


:o4 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KI1.*ENNT. 


pressed  her  entire  confidence  in  the  iirmness  and  pnfc 
dcDce  of  the  nuncio,  and  his  devotion  to  tlie  royal  cause. 

Anticipating  the  application  which  would  be  mad© 
en  him  for  the  monies  which  lie  had  brought  from 
Eome,  the  nuncio  stated,  that  seeing  the  straits  to 
■wliich  the  king  had  been  reduced,  the  sums  he  had  in 
bis  possession  could  be  of  little  use,  and  as  to  any 
agreement  between  the  king  and  the  parliament,  Ireland 
had  little  to  fear  from  their  combined  eiForts,  as  she  had 
carried  on  a  war  against  Elizabeth,  in  the  time  of  Hugh 
O'Neill,*  for  sixteen  years,  independent  of  thesyrapathy 
Hith  which  she  was  now  regarded  by  the  pope  and  the 
Catholic  powers.  It  would  appear,  moreover,  that  he 
was  in  concert  with  the  English  Catholics,  who,  declar- 
ing their  inability  to  be  of  any  use  to  his  majesty, 
pointed  to  the  effective  aid  of  the  Irish  Catholics,  who, 
if  seconded  in  their  demand,  would  be  ready  at  the 
shortest  notice  to  turn  all  their  energies  against  the 
parliament.  Meantime  letters  from  Eome  chided  him 
for  his  delay  in  the  French  capital,  and  Scarampi  had 
written  from  Ireland  to  urge  his  departure.  The 
nuncio,  for  the  last  time,  sent  Spinola  to  wait  on  the 
queen  to  renew  his  avowals  of  attachment  to  her  cause, 
and  that  of  her  consort,  and  with  this  mutual  inter- 
change of  compliments  terminated  their  negotiations. 

The  instructions  which  he  had  received  on  leaving 
Eome  urged  him  to  proceed  to  Ireland  with  all  possible 
expedition,  and  strictly  forbade  him  to  hold  any  unne- 
cessary intercourse  with  the  English  Catholics  at  the 
queen's  court,  who,  far  from  sympathising  with  the 
Irish  were  more  inclined  to  lament  any  triumph  to 
their  arms,  as  they  were  afraid  that  they  would,  in 
consequence,  be  deprived  of  those  places  of  dignity  and 
emolument  in  that  kingdom,  which  were  the  natural 
accompaniment  of  superiority  and  command. 

Cardinal  Mazarinf  was  most   anxious  to  detain  him, 


*  See  hfs  life  by  Mitchel,  one  of  the  most  bea^itifxJ  pieces  of  biogra- 
phy -wliich  we  possess. 

t  Jlazaiin  commenced  his  career  as  a  soldier,  and  commanded  in  the 
Yalteline  for  the  Pope.  His  character  is  variously  estimated.  Th« 
Spaniards  hated  him,  and  Comeille  immortalized  him.  He  waa  a 
'.jberal  patron  of  the  arts,  and  introdiced  tlie  opera  in  Fraaice.  U» 
wofi  made  CardiDul  in  IC^S. 


corfedehation  of  Kilkenny.  105 

and  it  vtm  not  till  after  repeated  commands  that  the 
nuncio  resolved  to  leave  Paris,  after  having  been  there 
fully  three  months.  He  had  not  been  long  in  France 
when  he  received  a  prom-ise  from  the  Duke  de  Ventadour 
of  100,000  dollars  for  the  purposes  of  the  war  in 
Ireland,  but  the  news  of  the  king's  reverses  changed 
his  intention.  Having  got  from  Mazarin  the  sum  of 
25,000  livres,  that  is  to  say,  5,000  for  the  purchase  of 
some  vessels,  and  20,000  as  a  present,  he  left  Paris  for 
liochelle,  where  he  arrived  about  the  beginning  of  Octo- 
ber. On  his  arrival  at  Rochelle  he  was  met  by  Galfrid 
Earon,  who  brought  him  letters  from  the  Earl  of  Glamor- 
gan informinghim  tfeat  the  confederates  anxiously  awaited 
his  arrival,  as  they  stood  in  need  of  the  military  stores 
which  he  was  to  bring  them.  This  determined  him 
to  make  all  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  voyage. 
There  seems  to  have  been  some  misunderstanding  as  to  the 
means  of  transport  into  Ireland,  for,  Hartegan  informed 
the  nuncio  that  Cardinal  Mazarin  had  promised  to 
place  four  ships  at  his  disposal  to  serve  as  a  convoy  for 
himself  and  the  supplies;  whereas,  when  application 
was  made,  he  learned  to  his  mortification,  that  there 
was  but  one  ship  in  the  harbour,  which  would 
require  at  least  1,000  dollars  and  six  weeks  to  make 
her  ready  fot  sea. 

To  suppose  that  Cardinal  Mazarin  was  not  influenced 
by  some  sinister  motive  on  this  occasion,  would  be  to 
differ  presumptuously  from  those  who  have  written 
concerning  the  character  of  this  remarkable  man.  He 
must  evidently  have  looked  with,  a  jealous  eye  on  any 
enterprise  which  tended  to  involve  the  affairs  of 
Charles  I.,  whose  queen  had  all  the  sympathy  of  the 
Prench  court.  It  is  likely,  too,  that  he  had  formed  a 
hasty  notion  of  the  confederates,  and  apprehended  that 
they  meant, to  throw  off  their  allegiance  to  the  crown 
of  England.  The  man  "who  could  listen  to  the  murmurs 
of  the  people,  as  one  listens  on  the  shore  to  the 
noise  of  the  waves  of  tlie  sea,"'  was  not  much 
affected  by  the  progress  of  events  in  Ireland ;  it 
afforded  too  small  a  field  for  the  finesse  of  the  great 
Koinieter,    who,    whether    riding    in    the  trenches   of 

•  "^'esiflsat  Ksffisalt. 


106  CONFKPFRATION   OF   KILKENNY. 

OvVsal'  with  bullets  whistling  about  him,  or  returning 
to  power,  after  having  had  a  price  set  on  his  head, 
proved  himself  to  be  the  greatest  politician  of  the  day. 
One  thing,  however,  is  certain,  that  Richlieu  would 
have  taken  a  livelier  interest  in  the  affairs  of  Ireland. 

The  French  admiral,  the  Duke  de  Brcze,  then  in  the 
harbour  was  applied  to  for  a  ship,  but  as  he  had  no 
orders  to  furnish  one,  it  was  not  till  considerable  time 
had  elapsed  that  Rinuccini  succeeded  in  purchasing  the 
San  Pietro,  a  frigate  of  twenty-six  guns.  His  retinue 
consisted  of  twenty-six  Italians  together  with  a  number 
of  Irish  officers,  and  the  secretary  BelUng.     On  board 

fthe  frigate  he  embarked  the  following  supplies  : — 2,000 
muskets,  2,000  cartouch  belts,  4,000  swords,  2,000 
pike-heads,  400  brace  of  pistols,  20,000  lbs  of  powder, 
M'ith  match,  shot,  &,c.  &c.f 

The  money,  which  was  considerable,  he  took  with  him 
in  Spanish  gold.  Wadding's  generosity  had  not 
abated,  and  he  furnished  36,000  dollars,  in  addition  to 
Nthe  sum  contributed  by  Pope  Innocent  X.  He  weighed 
anchor  about  the  middle  of  October,  and  sailed  from 
St.  Martin,  in  the  Isle  de  Rhe.  The  two  first  days  of 
the  voyage  were  prosperous,  for  they  met  no  interruption, 
but  on  the  third  they  were  alarmed  by  the  appearance 
of  a  flotilla,  which  was  evidently  in  pursuit.  The  ex- 
perienced eyes  of  the  sailors  pronounced  them  to  be 
the  parliament's  ships,  under  the  command  of  one 
Plunket,  whom  Belling  calls  "a  noted  scourge.  "J  Two 
of  the  squadron  soon  made  sail  in  the  wake  of  the  San 
Pietro,  whereon  the  Irishmen  cast  loose  the  guns  and 
cleared  the  deck  for  action  ;  having  sent  the  non-com- 
batants out  of  the  way  into  the  forepart  of  the  ship.  The 
nuncio  meanwhile  was  sick  in  his  berth  when  word  was 
brought  him  that  one  of  the  pursuing  vessels  had  dropped 

*  Bussy  Memoirs. 

t  During  his  sojourn  at  Paris  the  nuncio  was  alloAved  by  the  Pope 
S,000  dollars  for  the  maintenance  of  liimself  and  suite.  On  his  an-iral 
in  Ireland,  200  dollars  a  month  were  assigned  him,  but  he  expended 
during  his  stay  l/).800  dollars,  of  his  own  private  income.  His  biogra- 
pher (Aiazzi)  remai'ks  that  this  was  a  great  outlay  considering  the 
low  rate  at  which  all  tlie  necessaries  of  life  were  then  to  be  bad  in 
Ireland;  a  fact  which  is  made  still  more  clear  by  the  letter  of  the 
Cnncio's  confessor,  Arcamonl,  i/i  the  Appendix  to  this  voL 

J  KaiTatire  of  the  W  ar. 


COWFKDERATIOH   OF    KILKENNY.  107 

astern ;  but  to  his  horror,  they  informed  hira  that  the 
larger  vessel  of  the  two  was  still  making  all  sail  on  his 
fVipate.  The  chase  continued  for  more  tlian  a  hundred 
miles,  and  an  hour  before  sunset  tlie  SanPielro  lost  sight 
of  her  pursuer.  In  a  transport  of  jubilee,  the  Italians 
sang  a  hymn  of  thanksgiving,  and  the  nuncio  expressed 
his  joy  that  none  had  suffered,  as  he  sickened  at  the 
thought  of  seeing  the  blood  of  his  Irish  sailors  staining 
his  decks.  He  attributed  his  delivery  from  Plunket  to 
a  manifest  interposition  of  Divine  Pi'ovidence,  and  pro- 
nounced it  miraculous  ;  but  he  must  have  subsequently 
iearned  that  the  escape  of  liis  pursuer  was  still  far  more  » 
v/onderful,  for  Plunket's  cooking-room  had  caught  tire,  j 
and  being  alarmed  for  his  magazine,  he  was  obliged  to  / 
shorten  sail,  and  thus  suffer  the  San  Pietro  to  distance  / 
him.  On  that  night,  owing  to  the  darkness  of  the 
weather  they  did  not  know  their  bearings,  tliough 
they  had  passed  Cape  Clear,  but  on  the  following  day 
they  "wei'e  visited  by  birds  which  gave  them  notice  of 
their  approach  to  the  coast ;  and  when  the  haze  which 
concealed  the  land  from  their  view  had  disappeared, 
they  found  themselves  in  the  Bay  of  Kenmare,  where 
they  dropped  anchor  on  the  21st  of  October.  Next 
day  the  nuncio  came  on  shore,  and  his  first  abode  on 
the  Irish  soil  was  in  the  hut  of  a  shepherd,  where  he 
celebrated  mass  on  the  feast  of  St.  Mabilia,  surrounded 
by  the  peasantr\%  whom  the  unusual  sight  of  a  dignitary 
from  the  Vatican,  and  his  Italian  retinue,  had  brought 
down  from  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains.* 

Having  rested  for  some  time,  and  taken  ashore  all 
the  arms  and  equipments  at  Ardtulh%  he  proceeded  on 
a  rude  litter  towards  Macroom,  the  frigate  having 
been  sent  round  to  Dnncannon.  The  supreme  council 
on  intelligence  of  his  arrival,  despatched  some  troops  of 
cavalry  to  escort  him  through  Inchiquin's  quarters  ;  and 
at  Dromsecane,t  on  the  Blackwater,  he  was  joined  by 
Richard  Butler,  a  Catholic,  though  brother  to  the 
IMarquess  of  Ormond,  Lord  Netterville,  and  others. 
From   Dromsecaue  they  continued   their  route  through 

•  Aiazzi.  Nunziatara  in  Irlanda.     Vide  Appendix. 
t  A  strong    castle  of  the  O'Keeffs'ft,    ubout  fourteen  miles  frixu 
Maciwjm. 


CONFEDERATION   OF   KILKENNY. 

Kilmallock  to  Limerick.  Here,  in  the  cathedral,  he 
celebrated  the  obsequies  of  Malachy,  arclibisliop  of 
Tuam,  and  was  received  with  generous  hospitality  by 
tlie  municipal  authorities.  At  the  door  of  the  cathedral 
the  bishop  of  Limerick  presented  him  with  the  mitre, 
saying: — "  Ab  Ecclesia  apostolica  haec  recepi,  nunc 
jidem  ecclesisB  prompte  restituo,"  His  instructions 
charged  him  to  proceed  to  Kilkenny  without  delay,  and 
/laving  congratulated  the  people  of  Limerick  on  their 
recent  acknowledgment  of  the  confederate  government, 
he  journeyed  slowly  to  his  destination,  and  on  the  12th 
of  November  rested  at  a  village,  distant  three  miles 
from  Kilkenny. 

The  confederates  had  resolved  to  receive  him  with  every 
demonstration  of  respect,  and  deputed  four  gentlemen,  ac- 
companied by  the  secretary  Belling,  to  bid  him  welcome. 
Next  morning,  having  ascended  his  litter,  surrounded 
by  thousands  of  the  gentry  and  peasantry,  together 
with  a  vast  concourse  from  the  neighbouring  counties, 
he  set  out  for  the  city.  Conspicuous  amongst  this  vast 
assemblage  was  a  troop  of  fifty  students  on  horseback, 
irmed  with  pistols,  the  leader  of  whom,  in  a  dis- 
inguished  costume,  and  wearing  a  crown  of  laurel, 
ecited  some  Latin  verses,  and  conveyed  to  him  the 
tompliments  and  congratulations  of  his  companions. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  gate  he  descended  from 
the  litter,  and  having  put  on  the  cape  and  pontifical 
hat,  the  insignia  o^  his  office,  he  mounted  a  horse 
>aparisoned  for  the  occasion.  The  secular  and  regular 
clergy  had  assembled  in  the  church  of  St.  Patrick,* 
tlose  by  the  gate,  and  when  it  was  announced  that  the 
nuncio  was  in  readiness,  they  advanced  into  the  city 
In  processional  array,  preceded  by  the  standard-bearers 
of  their  respective  orders. f  » 

*  Tlie  site  of  this  church  mny  still  be  traced  in  the  graveyard  adjoin- 
ing tlie  modern  pai-ochial  church  of  St.  Patrick,  outside  the  city  wall. 

f  That  Ireland  was  rich  in  ecclesiastical  furniture  is  quite  evident 
ft'om  the  splendid  collection  in  tlie  Royal  Irish  Academy.  Pugin,  in 
♦is  grand  work  on  Ecclesiastical  Ornament  and  Costume,  p.  77,  S]  eaks 
■•of  a  cope  (i  cloth  of  gold  of  the  fifteenth  centuiy,  with  excellent 
jrphreys,  and  hood  of  needle-work,"  which  was  discovered  not  long 
go  in  the  cathedral  of  Waterford.  It  is  now  in  England.  One  of 
Jie  banners  probably  carried  in  the  procession,  has  beeQ  preserved  by 
fc -o^njQerable  gentleman  in  Kilkenny,  who  is  as  learned  in  the  antiqai* 
V  Af  hia  native  city,  as  be  is  affable  and  kind.— I  uttm  Mjr.  B.  Scot*^ 


CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY.         109 

\  Under  the  old  arch,  called  St,  Patrick's  gate,  he  was 
met  by  the  vicar-general  of  the  diocese  of  Ossory  and 
the  magistrates  of  the  city  and  county,  who  joined  in 
the  procession.  A  canopy  was  held  over  him  by  some 
citizens,  who  remained  bare-headed,  although  the  rain 
descended  in  torrents.  The  streets  were  lined  by 
regiments  of  infantry,  and  the  bells  of  the  Black  Abbey 
and  the  church  of  St.  Francis  pealed  a  gladsome 
chime. 

In  the  heart  of  the  city,  and  nearly  opposite  to  the 
ancient  residence  of  the  Roth  family,  there  stood  across* 
of  beautiful  workmanship  and  great  antiquity.  Here 
the  nuncio  halted,  while  a  young  student  pronounced  an 

y  appropriate  oration  in  the  Latin  tongue.  The  procession 
then  moved  on  till  it  ascended  the  gentle  eminence  on 
which  the  splendid  old  fane,  sacred  to  St.  Canice,  is 
erected.  At  the  grand  entrance  he  was  received  by  the 
venerable  Bishop  of  Ossory,  whose  feebleness  prevented 
him  walking  in  the  procession.  After  mutual  saluta- 
tions, the  bishop  handed  him  the  aspersorium  and  incense, 
and  then  both  entered  the  cathedral,  which,  even  in  the 
palmiest  days  of  Catholicity,  had  never  held  within  its 
precincts  a  more  solemn  or  gorgeous  assemblage.  The 
nuncio  ascended  the  steps  of  the  grand  altar,  intonated 
the  "  Te  Deum,"  which  was  caught  up  by  a  thousand 
voices,  till  crypt  and  chancel  resounded  with  the  psal- 
mody, and  when  it  ceased  he  pronounced  a  blessing  on 
the  immense  multitude  which  crowded  the  aisles  and 
nave.  Three  years  before  the  occurrences  here  narrated, 
David,  Bishop  of  Ossory,  had  erected  a  monument  to 
commemorate  the  restoration  of  St.  Canice's  cathedral 
to  the  ancient  worship,  and  it  needs  no  flight  of  fancy  to 
suppose  that  on  this  memorable  occasion  he  may  have 
eclioed  the  \wrds  of  the  canticle,  "  Now  dismiss  thy  ser- 
vant, because  my  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,  and  th«j 
glory  of  thy  people,  Israel."  These  ceremonies  con- 
cluded, he  retired  for  awhile  to  the  residence  prepared 
for  him  in  the  city,  and  shortly  afterwards  was  waited 

•  on  by  General  Preston  and  Lord  IMuskerry.  He  then 
proceeded  on  foot  to  visit  Lord  Mountgarret,  the  presi- 

•  This  cross  was  barbarously  throAvn  down  in  the  year  1771.  Itboi« 
dAltt  MCCC.    Its  site  ia  now  occo^ed  \>y  d  piuup  ! 


110  CONFBDERATTON   O?   ICILIIBNWII , 

dent  of  the  assembly.  The  reception  took  place  h\  the 
?astle.  At  tlie  foot  of  the  grand  staircase  he  Avas  mettj 
Thomas  Fleming,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  Walsb, 
Archbishop  of  Cashel.  At  the  end  of  the  great  gallery* 
Lord  Mountgarret  was  seated,  waiting  his  arrival,  and 
when  the  nuncio  approached,  he  got  up  from  his  chair, 
without  moving  a  single  inch  in  advance.  The  seat 
designed  for  Riimccini  was  of  damask  and  gold,  with  a 
little  more  ornament  than  that  occupied  by  the  presi- 
dent. He  tells  us  that  it  was  placed  on  the  right  of 
Mountgarret's,  but  yet  so  situated  that  it  looked  rather 
to  the  left,  and  thus  made  it  a  matter  of  doubt  as  to  the 
personage  who  held  the  most  central  position.  The 
nuncio  immediately  addressed  the  president  in  Latin, 
and  declared  that  the  object  of  his  mission  was  to  sustain 
the  king,  then  so  perilously  circumstanced ;  but,  above 
all,  to  rescue  from  pains  and  penalties  the  people  of  Ire- 
land, and  to  assist  them  in  securing  the  free  and  public 
exercise  of  the  Catholic  religion,  and  the  restoration  of 
the  churches  and  church  property,  of  which  fraud  and 
violence  had  so  long  deprived  their  rightful  inheritors. 
He  implored  those  who  heard  him  to  banish  from  their 
minds  the  insinuations  of  some  who  were  artfully  endea- 
vouring to  misrepresent  the  motives  of  the  pope  in  send- 
ing him,  and  concluded  his  remarks  by  solemnly  asseve- 
rating! that,  far  from  wishing  to  do  injury  to  King 
Charles,  it  was  his  earnest  anxiety  to  prop  up  his  tot- 
tering throne.  Heber  MacMahon,  Bishop  of  Clogher, 
to  whom  Rinuccini  had  been  specially  confided  by  the 
holy  see,  followed  the  nuncio  in  a  spirited  appeal,  and 
echoed  the  sentiments  to  which  the  papal  minister  had 
given  utterance.  After  mutual  compliments,  the  assem- 
bly broke  up,  and  the  nuncio  retired  to  his  residence, 
accompanied  by  Preston,  Muskerry,  and  the  troops. 
The  cold  formality  of  Mountgarret  did  not  escape  his 
observation,  for,  in  writing  to  his  court,  he  nientions 
that,  as  he  retired  from  the  gallery,  the  president  never 

•  Little  now  remains  of  the  castle  as  it  was  in  Rinuccini's  time,  save 
the  towers  at  the  grand  entrance.  The  gallery  must  have  been  splendid 
that  elicited  the  praise  of  a  man  who  had  seen  the  Vatican  and  Medi- 
cean  palaces. 

*  "  In  verbo  principis,"  says  Callaghan,  in  Vlndic.  Hib.,  won  hie  f»" 
Torite  expression. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  HI 

moved  an  inch  from  his  place.  But  tlie  supreme  council 
goon  after  did  not  fail  to  impress  on  the  pope's  mind  the 
advantages  the  people  of  Ireland  might  derive  from  his 
prudence  and  counsels.  The  following  is  their  letter : — 
"  Most  Holy  Father — One  of  the  first  acts  of  your  pon- 
tificate  has  been  to  send  to  us  a  nuncio  from  your  court, 
in  the  person  of  John  Baptist,  Archbishop  of  Fermo,  and 
we  hasten  to  return  our  acknowledgments  of  the  pater- 
nal solicitude  thus  shown  us.  If  we  have  been  unable  to 
receive  so  exalted  a  personage  with  that  pomp  and  splen- 
dour which  the  occasion  called  for,  we  humbly  pray  that 
the  joy  and  overflow  of  heart  with  whicli  we  have  hailed 
his  advent,  may  make  amends.  Grateful  for  the  supplies 
which  the  nuncio  has  brought  us  from  you,  we  earnestly 
implore  that  your  paternal  bounty  may  not  be  withdrawn 
till  the  most  Holy  Innocent  sliall  have  beheld  the  Catho- 
lic religion  flourishing  in  our  isiand,  and  the  enemies  of 
our  faith  vanquished  by  the  ;^otent  arm  of  the  God  of 
hosts."* 

Now,  it  so  happened  that  Muskerry,  Plunket,  and  the 
other  commissioners  did  not  return  from  Dublin  till  the 
r2th  of  November,  the  day  before  Rinuccini's  entry  into 
Kilkenny.  That  their  chagrin  must  have  been  great,  can- 
not be  questioned,  for  they  learned  from  the  events 
which  had  transpired  that  the  "old  Irish"  in  the 
assembly  would  be  animated  by  more  hostile  feelings  to 
their  projects  by  the  interference  and  influence  of  the 
nuncio.  Muskerry,  and  those  of  his  party,  had  toiled 
with  unwearied  exertions  all  the  summer  to  conclude  the 
peace,  and  were  Avilling  to  sign  it,  without  obliging  Or- 
mond  to  any  concession  of  a  religious  nature,  save  such 
as  the  king  might  be  pleased  to  grant  as  a  "  grace"  when 
triumphant  over  his  enemies.  But,  without  pausing  to 
examine  the  prudence  of  this  resolve,  the  "old  Irish" 
had  begun  to  tire  of  begging  favours  and  immunities, 
when  they  felt  themselves  in  a  position  to  insist  on  them 
as  rights.  Elated  by  the  magnificent  promises  of  the  nun- 
cio, they  looked  beyond  the  seas  for  sympathy  and  sup 
port.  The  Head  of  the  Church,  it  was  expected,  would 
use  all  his  influence  to  sustain  them.  The  impassioned 
oratory  of  the  Italian  conjured  up  prospects  as  bright  ta 

*  Vidt  Borlase's  Dismal  Effects  of  the  Irish  Insan-ect..  t>.  J&4« 


il2  CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY, 

ever  passed  before  the  mental  vision  of  Celtic  bafd. 
In  the  recesses  of  his  domicile  bishops  listened  to  hid 
plans ;  and  the  enthusiastic  Heber  of  Clogher  already 
fancied  that  he  saw  the  "  thieving  Scot"  driven  out  of 
Ulidia,  and  the  temples  and  possessions  of  the  Catholics 
restored  to  their  rightful  owners.  It  was  no  Avonder  that 
estrangement  should  soon  have  grown  up  between  the 
parties  who,  long  before  now,  were  mutually  opposed. — 
Those  who  adopted  the  nuncio's  views  bitterly  regretted 
that  all  that  Rinuccini  dreamed  of  had  not  been  accom- 
plished before  his  coming.  Surely,  thought  they,  if 
craft  and  intrigue  had  not  marred  our  progress,  all  might 
have  been  realised.  Fond  enthusiasts !  brave  hearts ! 
grand  and  simple  souls  I  little  did  ye  then  think  of  the 
storm  which  was  soon  to  burst  on  the  land  and  destroy 
your  brightest  hopes  I  As  in  every  other  feud,  the  par- 
ties who  were  now  to  work  the  ruin  of  the  country  be- 
gan to  be  recognised  by  the  names  of  their  leaders. — 
Those  who  were  ready  to  swear  by  Rinuccini,  were  de- 
nominated Nuncionists ;  and  those  who  placed  reliance 
on  the  lord  lieutenant,  Avere  designated  Ormondists.  The 
solemn  vow  recorded  at  Knockcrofty,  to  merge  all  divi- 
sions in  the  struggle  for  fatherland,  was  forgotten  or  un- 
heeded ;  and  the  demon  strife  had  come  from  tlie  abyss 
to  exercise  his  power.  Alas !  for  tliose  who  dream  of 
nationality  with  hate  and  dissension  rankling  in  their 
hearts ! 

To  add  to  the  embarrassment  of  the  Ormondist  party, 
they  were  now  informed  that  the  nuncio,  during  his  so- 
journ in  Paris,  had  received  a  memorial  from  Rome, 
which  had  been  transmitted  thither  from  the  English 
Catholics,  representing  their  grievances,  and  desiring 
that  the  Irish  would  insert  among  the  articles  of  the 
peace,  about  which  they  were  treating  with  the  king, 
some  conditions  in  favour  of  tlie  Catholics  of  England  ; 
and  that  the  peace  be  concluded  upon  such  terms  as 
might  secure  the  Irish  in  their  own  country,  and  at  the 
same  time  enable  them  to  come  to  his  majesty's  assist- 
ance in  England  witli  an  arm}',  whicli  should  be  joined 
by  the  English  Catholics.  The  conditions  laid  down  in 
this  memorial  Avere  the  following ;  and  they  were  re- 
garded as  the  most  effectual : — 

I.  That  the  Irish  do  not  come  to  England  with  lesi 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  \\h 

than  10,000  or  12.000  men ;  that  they  may  subsist  of 
themselves  without  any  fear  of  being  cut  off  even  by 
those  English  Protestants  who  serve  under  his  majesty. 

II.  That  two  seaport  garrisons  be  delivered  up  to 
them. 

III.  That  the  general  and  all  the  officers  be  named  by 
the  Irish. 

IV.  That  the  general  be  subject  only  to  the  immediate 
orders  of  the  king. 

V.  That  tliis  army  be  kept  together  m  a  body,  and 
not  obliged  to  go  upon  any  particular  service,  except 
by  order  from  the  general  and  council  of  war. 

VI.  That  the  English  Catholics,  by  the  king's  com- 
mand and  authority,  have  a  power  of  meeting  in  a  body, 
and  with  a  corps  of  horse,  answerable  to  the  Irish  foot, 
forming  one  army. 

VII.  That  the  Catholic  general  of  this  body  of  English 
horse  be  such  a  man  as  shall  not  be  distrusted  by  the 
Irish,  but  approved  of  by  the  Irish  general. 

As  the  necessary  consequence  of  those  conditions,  the 
English  Catholics  had  pledged  themselves  that  nothing 
should  be  omitted  which  was  essential  and  necessary  to 
the  complete  establishment  of  the  Catholic  religion  in 
Ireland.* 

This  subject  afforded  ample  room  for  discussion  in  the 
assembly,  and  a  considerable  time  was  spent  by  the  Or- 
mandists  and  the  party  opposed  to  them  in  debating  on 
the  practicability  of  such  proceedings. 

But,  for  the  elucidation  of  this  matter,  it  is  necessary 
that  we  know  in  what  relation  Glamorgan  stood  to  the 
king  and  the  Irish  people.  He  was  a  Catholic,  and  son 
of  the  Marquess  of  Worcester ;  for  the  king  he  en- 
tertained the  most  chivalrous  devotion,  and  had  already 
advanced,  in  conjunction  with  his  father,  £200,000 
towards  the  maintenance  of  the  royal  cause.  He  was 
married  to  Margaret  O'Brien,  daughter  of  Henry  Earl 
of  Thomond ;  and  his  religion  and  connexions  gave  the 
king  good  reason  to  believe  that  his  influence  in  Ireland 
should  be  considerable.  As  it  has  been  already  stated, 
his  majesty  was  well  convinced  that  Ormond  would 
make  no  terms  with  the  confederates  which  they  would 

•  Glamorgan's  Transactions,  pp.  41.  42.  43. 


114  CONFEDERASIOK    OF    KILKENNY. 

regard  as  satisfactory.  He,  therefore,  entrusted  Gla« 
morgan  with  a  commission  to  levy  men,  coin  money, 
and  to  use  the  revenues  of  the  crown  for  their  support. 
He  gave  a  warrant  to  him  to  concede  to  the  Catholiea 
such  terms  as  it  was  not  prudent  for  the  king  or  Or- 
mond  openly  to  make,  and  a  solemn  pledge  to  ratify 
whatever  engagements  he  (Glamorgan)  might  conclude. 
He  also  furnished  him  with  letters  to  the  pope,  the  nun. 
cio,  and  the  Catholic  princes  from  whom  he  expected 
aid.  When  the  nuncio  arrived  in  Kilkenny,  the  earl 
produced  the  commission,  empowering  him  to  treat  Avith 
the  confederates.  This  letter,  dated  April  30,  1645, 
expressed  the  king's  hope  "  That  the  work  commenced 
by  the  late  pope,  in  behalf  of  the  Irish  CathoUcs,  would 
have  a  happy  accomplishment  in  the  hands  of  his  present 
minister,  aided  by  the  assistance  of  his  dear  cousin 
(Glamorgan),  with  whom  he  was  at  liberty  to  make 
whatever  terms  he  thought  best,  all  of  which  he  (the 
king)  would  ratify  on  Glamorgan's  return."  He  in- 
formed the  nuncio  "that  an  acquaintance  of  twenty 
years  had  confirmed  his  love  and  respect  for  Glamorgan, 
and  that  whatsoever  he  promised  in  his  name,  he  would 
feel  himself  obliged  to  ratify  as  the  price  of  the  favours 
he  received."  "Depend,  therefore,  on  him,"  concludes 
this  authentic  document,  "but  on  the  understanding 
that  the  whole  matter  is  to  be  kept  strictly  secret,  since 
you  see  that  necessity  demands  silence,  this  being  the 
first  document  which  we  have  ever  addressed  to  any 
Papal  minister,  but  hoping  that  it  is  not  to  be  the  last. 
Signed,  Charles  R.,  from  our  court  of  Oxford,  30th  of 
April,  1645." — Nor  less  curious  is  the  warrant  which 
Glamorgan  produced  to  the  nuncio  and  the  council,  con- 
cerning tlie  authenticity  of  which  document  there  cannot 
be  any  doubt: — 

"  Charles  R. 
"Charles,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  of  England, 
Scotland,  France,  and  Ireland,  Defender  of  the  faith, 
to  our  right  trusty  and  right  well-beloved  cousin,  Edward 
Earl  of  Glamorgan,  greeting.  We,  reposing  great  and 
especiai  trust  and  confidence  in  your  approved  wisdom 
and  fidelity,  do  by  these  (as  firmly  as  under  our  great 
seal  to  all  intents  and  purposes)  authorise  and  give  you 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


i\a 


power  to  treat  and  conclude  with  the  confederate  Roman 
Cathohcs  in  our  kingdom  of  Ireland,  if  upon  necessity 
anything  be  to  be  condescended  unto,  wherein  our  lieu- 
tenant cannot  so  well  be  seen  in,  as  not  fit  for  us  at  the 
present  publicly  to  own ;  and,  therefore,  we  charge  you 
to  proceed  according  to  this  our  warrant  frith  all  possible 
secrecy ;  and  for  Avhatsoever  you  shall  engage  yourself 
upon  such  valuable  considerations  as  you  in  your  judg- 
ment shall  deem  fit,  we  promise  in  the  word  of  a  king 
and  a  Christian  to  ratify  and  perform  the  same,  that 
shall  be  granted  by  you,  and  under  your  hand  and  seal,  the 
said  confederate  Catholics  having,  by  their  svrpplies,  tes- 
tified their  zeal  to  our  service :  and  this  shall  be  in  each 
particular  to  you  a  sufficient  Avarrant." 

But  all  these  concessions  depended  on  the  landing 
of  the  troops  in  England  ;  nor  was  there  a  single  favour 
to  be  conceded  unless  this  agreement  was  fully  carried 
out. 

Along  with  the  foregoing  documents,  which  Glamor- 
gan produced,  he  exhibited  to  the  nuncio  another  in  the 
king's  hand,  addressed  to  "  Our  most  Holy  Father,  In- 
nocent X."  With  such  assurances,  as  to  political  advan- 
tages on  the  one  side,  and  the  concessions  made  in  be- 
lalf  of  the  Catholic  religion  on  the  other,  Rinuccini 
xbund  it  impolitic  to  resist  the  inclination  of  tlie  confe- 
derates for  the  conclusion  of  peace ,  yet  he  seems  all 
through  to  have  had  some  misgivings  as  to  the  sincerity 
of  the  king,  and,  in  a  private  interview  with  Glamor- 
gan, he  got  a  solemn  assurance  that,  when  the  term  of 
Ormond's  vice-royalty  had  expired,  his  successor  should 
be  a  Catholic  j  and  that  the  Catholic  bishops  should  be 
entitled,  as  soon  as  a  free  parliament  could  be  assembled, 
to  sit  as  spiritual  peers,  and  take  part  in  all  matters  con- 
cerning the  well-being  of  the  kingdom.  Glamorgan  had 
no  difficulty  in  satisfying  the  nuncio  on  all  these  parti- 
culars, provided  the  negotiation  was  kept  strictly  secret 
till  the  king,  relieved  from  his  present  embarrassments, 
might  be  at  liberty  to  confirm  all  the  articles  in  tlie  light 
of  day.  The  nuncio,  not  fully  satisfied  with  the  solemn 
promises  of  Glamorgan,  urged  that  some  contingency, 
Buoh  as  shipwreck,  or  the  death  of  Glamorgan  himself, 
might  prevent  the  transmission  of  the  troops,  in  which 
case  the  king  would  not  be  bound  by  a  promise  which 


116  CONFEDERATION   OF    KILSENNT. 

TTas  purely  conditional.  He  insisted,  moreover,  that  in 
case  the  English  Catholics  did  not  assist  the  Irish  levies, 
a  failure  of  the  enterprise  might  result ;  but  Glamorgan, 
overruling  all  these  considerations,  bound  himself  by 
oath,  in  the  presence  of  the  nuncio,  that  the  10,000  Irish 
infantry,  for  which  he  stipulated,  should  not  strike  a 
blow  before  the  treaty  had  received  the  royal  signature ; 
and  in  case  the  king  might  withhold  his  consent,  the 
troops  should  be  put  to  sea,  and  landed  again  in  Ireland. 
But  it  was  useless  to  continue  in  opposition  to  the  under- 
hand negotiation  carried  on  by  the  abettors  of  the  peace. 
Mountgarfet  and  Muskerry  urged  the  necessity  of 
speedily  sending  the  succours ;  and  Doctor  Leyburn,  on 
the  part  of  the  queen,  charged  the  Irish  people  with 
cruelty  in  insisting  on  too  much,  and  sought  to  convince 
them  that  a  bare  toleration  of  their  religion  was  as  much 
as  they  might  reasonably  demand  from  a  king  so  strait- 
ened as  was  his  Majesty  Charles  the  First,  Apprehen- 
sive of  some  failure  of  Glamorgan's  treaty,  the  nuncio 
had  gained  over  nine  bishops,  who  signed  a  protest 
against  any  arrangement  with  Ormond  or  the  king, 
which  did  not  fully  guarantee  the  maintenance  of  the 
Catholic  religion ;  and  this  was  to  be  kept  in  reserve, 
and  afterwards  produced  as  occasion  might  require. 
This  precaution  was  necessary,  inasmuch  as  he  saw  that 
no  power  of  persuasion  could  moderate  the  desire  of  Or- 
mond's  adherents  for  a  peace,  and  more  particularly  as 
they  were  now  enabled  to  point  to  the  letters  exhibited 
by  Glamorgan,  in  which  Charles  promised,  on  the  M'ord 
of  a  king  and  a  Christian,  to  make  good,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  whatever  he  should  perform.  "  And  al- 
though you  exceed,"  said  his  majesty,  "what  law  can 
warrant,  or  any  powers  of  ours  extend  to,  as  not  know- 
ing what  you  have  need  of,  yet  it  being  for  our  service, 
we  oblige  ourself  not  only  to  give  you  our  pardon,  but 
to  maintain  the  same  with  all  our  might  and  power."* 

A  considerable  time  had  been  spent  in  the  negotiations 
with  Glamorgan,  and  it  was  not  till  near  the  close  of 
December  that  he  set  out  for  Dublin,  accompanied  by 
two  commissioners  from  the  supreme  council,  to  treat 
»)rith  Ormond  on  the  levying  of  troops,  and  their  tran"- 

•  "i'tde  langard,  in  Appendix  to  vol.  x. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNT. 

snigsion  to  England.  The  king's  condition  was  every 
day  becoming  worse,  and  Cliester,  the  only  city  by  which 
he  could  maintain  a  communication  v/ith  Ireland,  was 
besieged  by  the  parliament  army.  Glamorgan  was 
aware  of  the  urgent  necessity  of  immediately  relieving 
that  place,  and  confidently  calculated  on  being  furnished 
with  three  thousand  infantry,  as  an  instalment  of  the 
ten  for  which  he  had  stipulated  in  the  secret  treaty. 

Meanwiiile  the  nuncio  turned  his  thoughts  to  tlu; 
state  of  Ireland.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  the  supreme 
council  that  the  time  which  had  been  consumed  in 
armistices  and  cessations  Avith  Ormond,  had  been  prc^' 
ductive  of  the  most  disastrous  results.  The  popular 
ardour  was  beginning  to  cool,  and  gave  their  enemies 
leisure  to  recruit  their  forces  and  strengthen  the 
fortresses  which  had  fallen  into  their  hands.  Peace  or  no 
peace,  he  had  determined  to  make  a  vigorous  attack  on 
the  Scotch,  in  Ulster.  Cork,  Youghal,  and  Kinsale 
were  garrisoned  by  the  troops  of  Murrogh  O'Brien, 
Lord  Inchiquin.  Sligo  had  been  recently  reduced  by 
the  Scotch,  which  was  of  the  greatest  advantage  to 
them,  inasmuch  as  it  was  favourably  situated  for  com- 
municating with  Ulster  and  Scotland.  In  Ulster,  the 
Scots,  under  Munroe,  held  nearly  all  the  principal 
places,  and  extended  their  incursions  to  the  very  borders 
of  Leinster,  which  were  but  feebly  protected  by  the 
troops  under  Preston.  The  success  of  Munroe  in 
Ulster  was  attributable  in  a  great  measure  to  a  want 
of  unanimity  in  its  generals,  as  there  was  a  dispute 
between  Owen  O'Neill  and  his  kinsman  Sir  Phelim,  on 
the  question  of  precedency.  Thus  were  the  keys  of 
three  provinces  in  the  hands  of  the  avowed  enemies  of 
the  Catholics,  who,  by  temporising  policy  and  subser- 
viency  to  Ormond,  were  made  to  forget  the  value  of  the 
adage,  "  Aid  yourselves,  and  God  will  aid  you." 

Rinuccini's  views  were  those  of  an  uncompromising 
prelate.  He  had  learned  to  appreciate  the  impulsiveness 
of  the  true  Irish  character,  and  determined  to  convince 
the  confederates  that  they  had  within  their  own  body 
ill  the  materials  which  were  required  to  insure  success. 
He  set  his  mind  on  one  grand  object,  the  freedom  ol 
the  church,  in  possession  of  all  her  rights  and  dignities, 


118  CONFEDERATION    OF   KILKENNY. 

and  the  emancipation  of  the  Catholic  people  from  th« 
dj^gradatiou  to  which  Enghsh  imperialism  had  con- 
(lemned  them.  The  churches,  wliich  tlie  piety  of 
Catholic  lords  and  chieftains  had  erected,  he  determined 
to  secure  to  the  rightful  inheritors.  His  mind  and 
feelings  recoiled  from  the  idea  of  a  people  worshipping 
in  crypts  and  catacombs.  He  abhorred  the  notion  of  a 
priest  or  bishop  performing  a  sacred  rite  as  though  it 
were  a  felony ;  and,  spite  the  wily  artifices  of  Ormond 
and  his  faction,  he  resolved  to  teach  the  people  of 
Ireland  that  they  were  not  to  remain  mere  dependants 
on  English  bounty,  when  a  stern  resolve  might  win  for 
them  the  privileges  of  freemen.  His  estimate  of  the 
Irish  character  was  correct  and  exalted.  He  formed 
it  in  the  proper  quarter.  On  the  Janiculum  at  Rome 
stands  the  Franciscan  convent  of  St.  Peter ;  many  an 
hour  did  he  spend  there  listening  to  Wadding,  as  he 
narrated  the  history  of  his  own  dear  land — the  per- 
secutions of  her  children,  and  their  constancy  to  the 
Catholic  ftiith.  What  place  more  fitted  for  the  recital  ? 
On  that  same  hill,  Tasso,  who  sung  of  her  rugged  war- 
riors marching  to  Palestine,  oft  reposed ;  and  within 
the  church  that  crowns  its  summit  was  the  tomb  of 
Hugh  O'Neill,  whereon  the  history  of  Erin's  chivalry 
may  be  said  to  have  been  epitomized.* 

It  was,  therefore,  with  evident  and  cogent  reason  that 
he  regarded  the  flattering  attention  of  the  modern  Irish 
as  tlie  homage  that  is  paid  to  the  treasurer  of  a  prince, 
whilst  he  received  the  spontaneous  and  heartfelt  devo- 
tedness  of  tlie  ancient  race  as  a  manifest  declaration  of 
their  love  for  the  religion  of  which  he  was  a  minister, 
and  one  in  whom  they  expected  to  find  a  deliverer  from 
penalties  and  persecutions.  And  why  should  he  not 
cherish  an  ardent  admiration  for  the  representatives  of 
the  old  Celtic  tribes,  and  a  cordial  abhorrence  for  the 
sickly  policy  of  the  Catholics  of  the  Pale  ?  Ormond  had 
charmed,  as  never  did  any  magician,  "  with  spell  and 
philters,"!  these  ductile  men  and  silken  lords,  who  were 


•  All  these  inscriptions  are   to  be  found  h\  "  Home  Ancient 
Modem,"  by  Dr.  1  onovan. 
i  Unkind  Vo^Qvier. 


COKFEDERATION   OF   KILKENNY.  lift 

lulling  to  make  terms  Avith  him  which  a  noble  and  per- 
secuted race  scorned  to  accept.  Their  religion  was  a 
dearer  consideration  than  tlieir  plundered  liomes  and 
confiscated  estates.  The  war  Avhicli  they  had  waged  was 
iu  the  cause  of  that  religion,  for  those  whom  they  had 
met  foot  to  foot  in  many  a  bloody  field  had  vowed  its 
destruction  ;  and,  now  that  a  treacherous  king  and  his 
faithf'd  lieutenant  were  driven  to  the  alternative  of 
throwing  themselves  on  the  protection  of  that  people, 
had  they  not  an  incontrovertible  right  to  seek — nay,  to 
demand — terms  which  would  secure  and  guarantee  tlie 
exercise  of  their  religion,  unfettered  by  those  penal  enact- 
ments which  were  worthy  the  ministers  of  a  Nero  or 
Domitian  ? 

Having  maturely  considered  the  state  of  the  country 
and  its  immediate  exigencies,  the  nuncio  concluded  that 
a  bold  and  unanimous  etFort  would,  in  one  campaign, 
drive  the  enemy  out  of  the  three  provinces  before  the 
parliamentary  faction  could  send  troops  to  Ireland.  He, 
therefore,  caused  all  the  arms  and  ammunition  which 
he  brought  Avith  liim  to  be  transported  to  Kilkenny. 
Meanwhile  the  party  in  the  interest  of  Ormond  busied 
themselves  in  nominating  bishops  to  some  of  the  vacant 
sees,  and  coadjutors  to  those  prelates  who,  by  reason  of 
age  or  infirmity,  were  unequal  to  the  episcopal  duties. 
Six  of  those  named  by  them  were  men  who  were 
the  creatures  of  their  masters,  and  in  the  same  re- 
lation to  them  that  Walsh  was  to  Ormond,  "  what  the 
shadow  is  to  the  substance."*  But  the  nuncio  firmly 
denied  that  any  power  was  vested  in  them  to  nomi- 
nate the  bishops  or  their  coadjutors;  and  in  vindi- 
cating this  grand  principle,  he  taught  the  Irish  Catho- 
lics that  their  hierarchy  could  never  be  more  pure  and 
independent  than  when  it  was  free  from  the  patronage 
and  control  of  secuhir  dominion.  But  expectation  was 
on  tiptoe,  and,  now  that  the  year  1645  had  drawn  to  a 
close,  the  confederates  anxiously  awaited  iutelligenoa 
ijrcm  Ormond  and  Glamorgan. 

•  Ures  of  Irish  Wrltrra . 


l^  CONFEDEEATION   OF   KILKENNT. 


CHAPTER  VI, 

It  wras  about  the  1st  of  January,  1646,  that  the  tW6 
couiraissioners  who  had  accompauied  Glamorgan  re* 
turned  in  hot  haste  from  DubUn  to  Kilkenny.  Few 
were  prepared  for  the  intelligence  which  they  brought. 
On  St.  Stephen's  day,  about  dinner  hour,  GlamorgaJi 
had  been  arrested  by  the  order  of  Orraond,  and  com- 
mitted a  close  prisoner  to  the  castle  on  a  charge  of  high 
treason.  Had  the  fleet  of  the  parliament  anchored  in 
the  bay,  it  could  not  have  caused  greater  alarm  than 
that  which  v/as  feigned  by  Ormond  and  Digby  on  this 
occasion.  The  gates  of  the  city  were  closed,  and  none 
were  permitted  to  depart,  save  the  confederate  commis- 
sioners. They,  too,  had  been  brought  to  tlie  castle ;  and 
Digby,  in  the  presence  of  Ormond,  informed  them  that 
they  had  reason  to  congratulate  themselves  on  their 
escape  from  the  severities  which  were  in  store  for  the 
unfortunate  earl.  "  You  must  know,"  said  he,  "  that  a 
document*  has  lately  come  into  my  hands,  which  was 
found  on  the  person  of  Malachy,  Archbishop  of  Tuam, 
who  was  slain  at  Sligo  by  the  Scots.  This  paper,  which 
w  signed  by  the  Archbishop  of  Cashel,  certifying  that  it 
is  a  true  copy,  is  the  following : — 

'•Whereas  much  time  hath  been  spent  in  meetings 
and  debates  betwixt  his  Excellencie  Ja.  Lord  Marquesse 
of  Ormond,  lord  lieutenant  and  general  governor  of 
his  majesties  kingdome  of  Ireland,  commissioner  to  his 
most  excellent  majesty,  Charles,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
king  of  Great  Britaine,  France  and  Ireland,  &c  ,  for  the 

»  A  copy  of  all  the  papers  had  I  een  found  on  the  person  of  the 
Archblsliop  of  Tuam,  when  killed  at  Sligo  by  the  Scots.  It  vras  for- 
warded to  England,  and  published  by  order  of  the  parliament,  under 
the  title  of  '•  Tlie  Earl  uf  Glamorgan's  Negotiations  and  Colourable 
Commitment  in  Ireland'."  Sir  Thomas  Faiifax  was  the  man  who 
seized  the  captain  of  the  ship  in  which  tlie  papers  had  been  sent.  Tha 
Cviptain  was  a  native  of  Wateiibrd,  aad  was  arrested  ct  Padstovr,  in 
Com  wall.— r.  Appeadii. 


CONFEDEUATIOK    OF    KILKENNY.  121 

treating  and  concluding  of  a  peace  in  the  said  kingdome : 
of  his  majesties  humble  and  loyall  subjects,  the  confe- 
derate Roman  Catholiques  of  the  said  kingdome  of 
Ireland,  of  the  one  part,  and  the  Right  Honourable 
Donnog.  Lord  Viscount  Muskery,  and  other  commis- 
sioners deputed  and  authorized  by  the  said  confederate 
Roman  Catholique  subjects,  of  the  other  part;  andtliere- 
upon  many  difficulties  did  arise,  by  occasion  whereof, 
sundry  matters  of  great  weight  and  consequence  neces- 
sarily requisite  to  be  condescended  unto  by  his  majesties 
said  commissioner,  for  the  safety  of  the  said  confederate 
Roman  Catholiques  were  not  hitherto  agreed  upon, 
which  retarded,  and  doth  as  yet  retard  the  conclusion 
of  a  firm  peace 'and  settlement  in  the  said  kingdome. 
And  whereas  the  Right  Honourable  Edward  Earl  of 
Glamorgan,  is  intrusted  and  authorized  by  his  most 
excellent  majesty  to  grant  and  insure  to  the  said  confe- 
derate Roman  Catholique  subjects  farther  graces  and  fa- 
vours which  the  said  lord  lieutenant  did  not,  as  yet,  in 
that  latitude  as  they  expected,  grant  unto  them.  And 
the  said  earl  having  seriously  considered  of  all  matters, 
and  due  circumstances  of  the  great  affairs  now  in  agita- 
tion, which  is  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  said  kingdome, 
and  the  importance  thereof  in  order  to  his  majesties 
service,  and  in  relation  to  a  peace  and  settlement  in  his 
other  kingdomes,  and  hereupon  the  place  having  scene 
the  ardent  desire  of  the  said  Catholiques  to  assist  hia 
majestic  against  all  that  doe,  ur  shall  oppose  his  royall 
right  or  monarchique  government,  and  having  discerned 
the  alacrity  and  cheerefulnesse  of  the  said  Roman  Ca- 
tholiques to  embrace  honourable  conditions  of  peace, 
which  may  preserve  tlieir  religion,  and  other  just  in- 
terests; in  pursuance  thereof  in  the  twentieth  of  his  reign, 
granted  unto  the  said  Earle  of  Glamorgan,  the  tenour 
whereof  is  as  followeth,  viz.  Charles  R — Charles, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  king  of  England,  Scotland,  France, 
and  Ireland,  defender  of  the  faith,  &c.  To  our  right 
trusty  and  well-beloved  cousin,  Edward  Earle  of  Gla- 
morgan, greeting.  Wee,  reposing  great  and  especiall 
trust  and  confidence  in  your  approved  wisdome  and  fi- 
delity, doe  by  these  (as  firmly  as  under  our  great  seal, 
to  all  intents  and  purpose)  authorize  and  give  you  powe? 
to  treat  and  conclude  with  the  confederate  Roman  Ca. 


122  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY, 

tlioliques  in  our  kingdome  of  Ireland,  if  upon  >necessitac 
anything  be  to  be  condescended  unto,  wherein  our  lord 
lieutenant  cannot  so  well  be  seen  in,  as  not  fit  for  us 
at  this  present  publicly  to  owne,  and  therefore  we  charge 
you  to  proceed  according  to  this  our  warrant,  with  all 
possible  secrecies ;  and  for  whatsoever  you  shall  engage 
yourself,  upon  such  valuable  considerations,  as  you  in 
your  judgment  shall  deeme  fit,  we  promise  in  the  worJ 
of  a  icing  and  a  Christian,  to  ratifie  and  performe  the 
same  that  shall  be  granted  by  you,  and  under  your  hand 
and  seal,  the  said  confederate  Catholiques  having  by 
their  supplyes  testified  their  zeal  to  our  service  ;  and 
this  shall  bee  in  each  particular  to  you  a  sufficient  war- 
rant. Given  at  our  court  at  Oxon,  under  our  signet, 
and  royall  signature,  the  twelfth  day  of  March,  in  the 
twentieth  year  of  our  reigne,  1644.  To  our  right  truly 
and  well-beloved  cousin,  Edward  Earle  of  Glamorgan, 
It  is  therefore  granted,  accorded,  and.  agreed,  by  and 
between  the  said  Earle  of  Glamorgan,  for  and  on  the 
behalf  of  his  most  excellent  majesty,  his  heirs  and  suc- 
cessors on  the  one  part,  and  the  Right  Honourable 
Richard  Lord  Viscount  Mountgarret,  lord  president  of 
the  supreme  council  of  the  said  confederate  Catholiques, 
and  the  said  Donnogh,  Lord  Viscount  Muskery,  Alex. 
Mac  Donnell,  and  Nicholas  Plunket,  Esquires ;  Sir 
Robert  Talbot,  Baronet ;  Dermid  O'Brian,  Jo.  Dillon ; 
Patr.  Darcy,  and  Jeffrey  Browne,  Esquires ;  commis- 
sioners in  that  behalf  appointed,  by  the  said  confederate 
Roman  Catholique  subjects  of  Ireland,  for  and  in  the 
behalf  of  the  said  confederate  Roman  Catholiques  of  the 
other  part,  in  manner  following,  that  is  to  say  : 

"  That  an  act  shall  be  passed  in  the  next  parliament 
to  be  held  in  tliis  kingdome ;  the  tenour  and  purport 
whereof  shall  be  as  followeth,  viz.  An  act  for  the  re- 
lief of  his  majesties  Catholique  subjects  of  his  highnesse 
kingdome  of  Ireland.  Whereas  by  an  act  made  in  par- 
liament held  ill  Dublin,  in  the  second  year  of  t^ie  reigne 
of  the  late  Queene  Elizabeth,  intituled,  an  act  for  re- 
storing to  the  crown  the  antient  jurisdiction  over  the 
btute  ecclesiasticall  and  spirituall,  and  abolish  all  for- 
raigne  power  repugnant  to  the  same,  and  by  another 
statute  made  in  the  said  last  mentioned  parliament,  in- 
tituled, an  act  for  the  uniformity  of  common  prayer  and 


CONPEDEUATION    OF    KILKENNY.  123 

fttTTice  in  the  church,  and  the  administration  of  the  sa- 
craments, sundry  mulcts,  penalties,  restraints,  and  in- 
capacities, are  and  have  been  laid  upon  the  professors  of 
the  Roman  Catholique  religion  in  this  kingdome,  in  and 
for,  and  concerning  the  use,  profession,  and  exercise  of 
iheir  religion,  and  their  functions  therein,  to  the  great 
prejudice,  trouble,  and  disquiet  of  the  Roman  Catholiques 
in  their  liberties  and  estates,  to  the  general  disturbance 
of  the  whole  kingdome;  for  remedy  whereof,  and  for 
the  better  feeling,  increase,  and  continuance  of  the 
peace,  unity,  and  tranquillity  of  tliis  kingdome  of  Ire- 
land, his  majesty  at  the  humble  suit  and  request  of  the 
lords  and  commons  in  this  present  parliament  assembled, 
is  graciously  pleased,  that  it  may  be  enacted,  and  bee 
it  enacted  by  the  kings  most  excellent  majesty,  the  lords 
spirituall  and  temporall,  and  commons  in  this  present 
parliament  assembled,  and  by  authority  of  the  same, 
that  from,  of,  and  after  the  first  day  of  this  session  of 
parliament,  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful!  to,  and  for  all 
the  professors  of  the  Roman  Catholique  religion,  of 
what  degree,  condition  or  quality  soever,  to  have  and 
enjoy  the  free  and  publike  exercise  and  profession  of  the 
said  Roman  Catholique  religion,  and  of  their  severall 
and  respective  functions  therein,  without  incurring  any 
mulct  and  penalty  whatsoever,  or  being  subject  to  any 
restraint  or  incapacity  concerning  the  same,  any  article, 
clause,  sentence,  or  provision  in  the  said  last  mentioned 
act  of  parliament,  or  in  any  other  act  or  acts  of  parlia- 
ment, ordinances,  law  or  usage  to  the  contrary  in  any- 
wise notwithstanding.  And  be  it  also  further  enacted, 
that  neitlier  the  said  statutes,  or  any  other  statute,  act, 
or  ordinance  heretofore  made  in  your  majesties  raigne, 
or  in  any  the  raigne  of  any  of  your  highnesse  most  noble 
progenitors  or  ancestors,  and  now  of  force  in  this  king- 
dome,  nor  all,  nor  any  branch,  article,  clause,  and  sen- 
tence in  them,  or  any  of  them  contained  and  expressed 
shall  be  of  force  and  validity  in  this  realme,  to  extend 
to  be  construed  or  adjudged  to  extend  in  anywise  to  en- 
quiet,  prejudice,  vexe  or  molest  the  professors  of  the 
said  Roman  Catholique  religion,  in  their  persons,  lands, 
hereditaments,  or  goods,  for  anything,  matter,  or  cause 
whatsoever  touching,  and  concerning  the  free  and  pub- 
Jic^ue  use,  exercise  and  enjoyinfi;  of  their  eayd  religion. 


124 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


function,  and  profession;  And  be  it  also  further  enacted 
and  declared  by  the  authority  aforesaid  that  your  ma- 
jesties Roman  Catholique  subjects  in  the  said  realme 
of  Ireland  from  the  first  day  of  this  session  of  parliament 
shall  be  and  be  taken,  deemed,  and  adjudged  capable  of 
all  offices  of  trust,  and  advancement,  places,  degrees,  and 
dignities,  and  preferments  whatsoever  withhi  your  said 
realme  of  Ireland,  any  act,  statute,  usage  or  law,  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.  And  that  other  acts  shall 
be  passed  in  the  said  parliament,  according  to  the  tenour 
of  such  agreement  or  concessions  as  herein  are  exi)ressed, 
and  that  in  the  meantime  the  said  Roman  Catholique 
subjects,  and  every  of  them  shall  enjoy  the  full  freedom, 
benefit,  and  advantage  of  the  said  agreement  or  conces- 
sions and  of  every  of  them. 

"  It  is  accorded,  granted,  and  agreed  by  the  said  earle, 
for  and  on  the  behalfe  of  his  majesty,  his  heirs  and  success 
sors :  that  his  Ex.  the  Lord  Marques  of  Orniond,  lord 
lieutenant  of  Ireland,  or  any  other  or  others  authorized 
by  his  majesty,  shall  not  disturbe  the  professors  of  the 
Roman  Catholique  religion  in  their  present  possession, 
and  continuance  of  the  possession  of  their  said  churches, 
jurisdiction  or  any  other  the  matters  aforesaid  in  these 
articles  agreed  and  consented  unto  by  the  said  E.  untiU 
his  majesties  pleasure  be  signified  for  coifirming  and 
publishing  the  grounds  and  agreements  hereby  articled 
for,  and  condiscended  unto  by  the  said  earle.  And  the 
said  earle  of  Glamorgara  doth  hereby  ingage  his  majes- 
ties royall  and  publique  faith  unto  all  and  singular  the 
professors  of  tlie  said  Roman  Catholique  religion  within 
the  said  kingdome  of  Ireland,  for  the  due  observance 
and  performance  of  all  and  every  the  articles,  grounds 
and  clauses,  herein  contained,  and  the  concessions 
herein  mentioned  to  be  performed  to  them. 

"  It  is  accorded  and  agreed  that  the  publique  faith  of 
the  kingdome  shall  be  engaged  unto  the  said  earle  by 
the  said  confederate  Catholiques  for  sending  10,000  rnen 
to  serve  his  majesty  by  order  and  publique  declaration 
of  the  generall  assembly  now  sitting  :  and  the  supreme 
councell  of  the  said  confederate  CathoUques  shall  en- 
gage themselves  to  bring  the  said  number  of  men  armed, 
the  one-half  with  musketts,  and  the  otlier  half  with 
pikes,  uato  any  port  within  this  realme  within  the  eleo- 


CONFEDERATION    *F    KILKENNY.  12« 

tion  of  the  said  earle,  and  at  such  time  as  he  shall  ap-» 
point  to  be  by  him  shipfled  and  transported  to  serve  his 
majesty  in  England,  Wales,  or  Scotland,  under  the 
command  of  the  said  Earle  of  Glamorgan,  as  lord  gene- 
rail  of  the  said  army  :  which  army  is  to  be  kept  together 
tn  one  entire  body,  and  all  otlier  the  said  officers  and 
commanders  of  the  said  army  are  to  be  named  by  the 
supreme  councell  of  the  said  confederate  Catholiques,  or 
by  such  others  as  the  severall  assembly  of  the  said  confe- 
derate CathoUques  of  this  kingdome  shall  entrust  there- 
with. In  witness  whereof  the  parties  of  these  presents 
liave  hereunto enterchangeably  put  their  hands  and  seals 
the  25th  day  of  August,  1643. 

"  Glamorgan. 
**  Copia  vera  coUata  fideliter  originali, 

Thomas  Cashell,  P.  Partricius, 

Waterford  and  Lismore." 


Digby  denied  the  authenticity  of  the  document — and 
asserted  that  it  was  either  forged  or  surreptitiously 
obtained.  In  a  tone  of  indignation  which  subsequent 
events  must  prove  to  have  been  affected,  and  without  a 
particle  of  sincerity,  he  told  the  commissioners  that  their 
offer  of  the  subsidies,  on  the  terms  which  they  proposed, 
should  be  scornfully  rejected.  "And  for  my  part," 
continued  he,  "  sooner  than  counsel  his  majesty  to  accept 
your  assistance  on  the  terms  which  you  have  made  with 
Glamorgan,  I  would  sacrifice  the  lives  of  my  wife  and 
children.  Go  back  to  Kilkenny,  and  inform  the  presi- 
dent of  the  federative  assembly  that  the  Protestants  of 
England  would  fling  the  king's  person  out  at  his  window, 
if  they  believed  it  possible  that  he  lent  himself  to  such 
an  undertaking."  * 

When  the  commissioners  returned  with  this  strange 
intelligence,  consternation  and  amaze  seized  every  one 
Avho  heard  it.  At  the  time  there  were  but  few  of  tho 
confederates  in  the  city ;  the  rest  Avere  spending  the 
Christmas  holidays  in  their  homes,  and  anxiously  await- 
ing the  result  which,  they  fancied,  would  restore  peace 
to  Ireland,  and  leave  them  free  to  succour  the  Tinfortu- 

ki^.-/.\,  p.  86. 


;26 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


nate  king.  The  nuncio  immediately  summoned  itk 
many  of  them  as  he  could  collect,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  what  was  to  be  done  in  such  a  critical 
emergency.  All  of  them  protested  vehemently  against 
the  injury  which  was  inflicted  on  Glamorgan ;  and  some 
were  of  opinion  that  they  ought  to  march  en  Dublin, 
and  demand  his  liberation  from  an  unjust  imprisonment, 
which  they  regarded  as  an  insult  put  upon  themselves. 
Far  from  regarding  Glamorgan's  powers  as  fictitious, 
they  avowed  their  belief  that  he  had  been  commissioned 
by  the  king  to  treat  with  them,  and  that  the  conditions 
on  which  they  had  agreed  could  not  but  be  pleasing  to 
his  majesty,  as  they  stipulated  nothing  which  they  had 
not  a  right  to  demand.  Five  of  the  confederates  waited 
on  the  nuncio  in  his  own  house,  to  learn  from  him  what 
supplies  he  could  give  in  case  they  came  to  a  resolution 
to  besiege  Dublin  (an  enterprise  which  he  anxiously  de- 
sired) ;  but  on  hearing  from  him  that  he  could  not  give 
an  exact  account  of  the  money  till  his  agent,  Invernizi, 
had  returned  from  Flanders,  where  he  was  sent  to  pur- 
chase some  frigates,  their  ardour  began  to  cool.  Mount- 
garret  and  Muskerry  gave  a  different  version  of  the  ar- 
rest,  and,  in  their  overweening  estimate  of  Ormond's 
probity,  sought  to  screen  him  from  any  suspicion  which 
might  reflect  on  his  honour  and  loyalty.  But,  notwith- 
standing the  palliation  which  they  offered  for  the  conduct 
of  the  lord  lieutenant,  a  great  number  of  the  confede- 
rates were  for  active  measures,  and  were  fully  satisfied 
with  the  answer  they  subsequently  received  from  the 
nuncio,  who  asserted  that  at  the  time  he  could  take 
upon  himself  the  expenses  that  might  be  incurred  by  a 
campaign  in  any  one  of  the  provinces,  if  they  could 
assure  him  that  it  would  tend  to  bring  about  a  peace  on 
the  conditions  which  they  had  already  made. 

Nothing  could  be  more  acceptable  to  the  prelates*  and 
people  than  this  proposal.  They  had  long  since  lost  all 
respect  for  the  promises  of  Ormond  ;  but  that  section  of 
the  confederacy  which  called  itself  the  Ormondist  party, 
fearing  tliat  they  might  *!e  involved  in  a  war,  laboured 
against  the  popiilar  feeling,  and  pressed  their  resolution 
to  have  the  whole  matter  submitted  to  the  general 
assembly. 

This    resolution    had  not  the    concurrence    of  tfca 


CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 


127 


prelates  or  the  people,  for  although  the  truce  with 
Ormond  could  not  expire  till  the  17th  of  January,  they 
regarded  the  recent  transactions  as  justificatory  of  an 
infraction.  But  there  were,  of  the  confederates,  some 
who  did  not  hesitate  to  avow  that,  in  case  of  hostility, 
the  marquess  would  make  terms  with  the  parliamenta- 
rians, and  turn  all  his  powers  against  the  assembly. 
"Whether  this  might  have  been  the  case  or  not,  certain 
it  is  that  if  they  had  resolved  to  advance  on  Dublin, 
it  could  not  have  stood  a  siege  of  eight  days,  open  as  it 
Avas  to  attack,  and  the  castle  without  means  of  holding  out 
against  a  vigorous  effort.*  Meanwhile,  the  nuncio  Avrote 
to  the  English  queen  and  Cardinal  Mazarin,  informing 
tliem  of  Glamorgan's  arrest,  and  deploring  the  state  of 
insecurity  into  which  the  artifices  of  Ormond  had  drawn 
the  Irish  people.  In  his  letter  to  Henrietta  Maria,  he 
assured  her  of  the  devotedness  of  the  Irish  Catholics  to 
the  interests  of  the  king,  and  lamented  the  interruption 
which  the  expedition  under  the  command  of  Glamor- 
gan had  met,  by  reason  of  his  incarceration. 

According  to  their  resolutions,  the  assembly  of  the 
confederate  Catholics  met  at  Kilkenny  early  in  January. 
The  prelates  and  clergy  approached  the  meeting  with  a 
feeling  against  Ormond,  which  was  only  embittered  by 
his  recent  proceedings;  and,  now  that  Glamorgan's 
peace  had  been  set  aside,  they  calculated  on  terms  to  be 
proposed  by  the  lord  lieutenant,  to  which  their  oath 
of  association,  and  the  sweat  and  toil  of  five  years  in 
the  cause  of  Catholicity,  forbade  their  assent. 

Their  first  act  was  to  write  to  Ormond  threatening  to 
suspend  all  further  negotiation,  if  the  Earl  of  Gla- 
morgan was  not  immediately  freed  from  arrest.  The 
release  of  the  prisoner,  they  said,  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  the  relief  of  Chester.  Three  thousand  men 
were  ready  to  embark, f  and  only  waited  the  transports; 
all  was  at  a  stand  by  his  imprisonment,  and  further 
delay   compromised  the  king.     Sir  Robert  Talbot  was 


*  At  this  moment  Ormond  was  in  concert  with  Munroe  in  the  north, 
and  in  great  want  of  prdvisions.  The  castle,  which  at  that  time  waa 
the  principal  magazine  of  Ireland,  had  not  arms  or  food  to  resure  ti 
siege. — Jiinuccini's  Corresp. 

t  These   troops  had  been  d'-awn  out  of  the  armies  in  the  throo 


123 


CON'yEDEBATION    OF    KILKKNNy. 


»ent  hy  the  confederates  to  second  this  letter^  ajid  ua 
the  2'2ad  of  January  an  order  was  given  for  his  Jxjing 
bailed  upon  .£40,000  sterling,  seeiirity,  given  by  the 
Earl  of  Kildare  and  the  Marquess  of  Clanricarde.  He 
was  also  bound  to  appear  before  the  board  within  thirty 
days  after  notice.  Nor  need  it  be  wondered  at  tliat 
Ormond  could  thus  dismiss  the  nian  whom  he  im- 
I)eached  of  high  treason,  for  he  was  a  party  to  the 
collusion,  and  professed  himself  quite  satisfied  with 
Glamorgan's  commission,  which  had  subjoined  to  it 
a  defeasance*  or  starting  hole,  stipulating  that  the  king 
sliould  be  no  further  bound  than  he  liimself  might 
think  fit,  after  he  had  witnessed  the  efforts  of  the  Irish 
Catholics  in  his  favour.  Nothing  can  be  more  clear 
than  that  tlie  whole  transaction  was  meant  as  a  blmd 
for  the  English  Protestants,  and  a  delusive  hope  for  the 
Irish  Catholics. 

On  his  release,  Glamorgan  proceeded  to  Kilkenny, 
where  he  was  received  by  the  assembly.  Far  from 
resenting  the  treatment  he  had  received  from  Ormond, 
he  praised  and  extolled  his  conduct,  declaring  that, 
under  the  circumstances,  he  could  not  have  ac&ed 
otherwise. 

But  these  professions  were  far  from  satisfying  the 
nuncio  and  the  prelates.  They  immediately  concluded 
that  there  Avas  something  fraudulent  in  the  transaction, 
and  determined  to  receive  any  proposition,  which  Gla- 
morgan might  advance,  with  greater  caution  for  the 
future. 

The  assembly  was  now  unhappily  divided  into  two 
parties.  The  clergy  were  obstinately  opposed  to  any 
peace  which  did  not  secure  the  free  and  open  exercise  of 
the  Catholic  religion.  Their  oath  of  association,  they 
asserted,  bound  them  to  identify  the  interests  of  religion 
with  the  support  of  the  king  :  nor  would  they  accede  to 
any  terms  which  did  not  stipulate  the  restoration  of  all 
the  cathedral  and  parochial  churches  with  the  revenues 
which  had  been  wrested  from  them  by  "the  reforma- 
tion." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  lords  and  gentlemen  of  the 
Pale  insisted  on  a  peace,  which,  committing  this  import- 


•  7he  nuncio  seoms  to  hare  been  igntxraat  of  this  defeasance. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY, 


129 


ant  question  to  the  ulterior  decision  of  the  king,  would 
leave  them  free  to  succour  him  immediately.  Tliis  ex- 
pedient, they  contended,  was  a  sufficient  security  for  the 
church,  and  the  only  means  of  effectually  uniting  the 
Protestant  loyalists  with  the  Catholics.  They  contended, 
moreover,  that  the  articles  of  Glamorgan's  private 
treaty  (provided  it  was  a  bona  fide  transaction)  were 
ample,  and  in  every  respect  satisfactory.  But  the  recent 
imprisonment  of  the  earl  had  shaken  tlie  confidence  of 
the  clergy,  and  they  regarded  the  devotion  of  Mus- 
kerry  and  Mountgarret  to  the  interests  of  Ormond  as  the 
necessary  consequences  of  their  connexion  with  hjm. 
So  generally  did  this  feeling  of  distrust  pervade  the 
popular  class,  that  Emerus,  bishop  of  Clogher,  was 
obliged  to  write  to  the  Ulster  chieftains,  rebuking  their 
adherents  for  having  come  to  a  determination  not  to  join 
the  troops  intended  to  be  sent  to  Chester.  * 

The  division  which  now  reigned  in  the  assembly  was 
nothing  less  than  the  reflex  of  the  popular  feeling.  The 
old  nobility,  slighted  by  Ormond,  and  excluded  from  any 
participation  in  the  management  of  the  treaty,  had  iden- 
tified themselves  with  the  clergy,  and  preferred  all  the 
horrors  of  civil  war  to  what  they  termed  an  ignominious 
peace.  The  nobility  and  gentry  of  the  Pale  were  chiefly 
concerned  for  the  security  of  their  temporalities  and  the 
toleration  of  their  religion,  beside  which  they  had  no- 
thing in  common  with  the  indigenous  population.  So 
deeply  rooted  was  the  aversion  of  the  latter  to  the  king's 
representative,  that  they  hailed  the  nuncio's  arrival  as 
that  of  a  general  Avho  was  to  raise  the  pontifical  stand- 
ard, and  lead  them  against  Ormond  and  the  puritans, 
whom  they  identified  in  hostility  to  their  cr^ed  and 
country.!  It  required  no  trifling  labour,  on  the  part  of 
the  nuncio,  to  remove  the  erroneous  impression  under 
which  they  laboured.  It  was  industriously  circulated 
that  he  came  to  make  the  pope  protector  of  Ireland;  and 
deep  as  was  their  sense  of  loyalty,  they  required  no  sti- 
mulus  to  shake  oflT  a  yoke  which  misrule  and  tyranny 
had  rendered  intolerable.     False,  however,  as  it  was, 


•  Vindiciae  Hibemonim.  p.  77. 

♦  Amongst  others,  Clarendon. 


130  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

the  impression  had  been  made,  not  by  Einnccini,  but  hy 
his  enemies ;  for  any  siich  overture  on  his  x^art  would 
have  been  in  direct  opposition  to  the  court  of  Eome, 
which  was  far  more  interested  for  the  unfortunate 
Chnj-les  tlian  those  who  propagated  the  slander. 

But  the  mod-  ate  party  was  determined  to  conchide 
with  Ormond,  and  in  order  to  swell  the  number  of  tluir 
votes,  they  caused  ex  officio  niembers  to  be  elected  to 
the  council.  This  informality,  however,  could  not 
produce  the  desired  clTect,  for  the  clergy  were  deter- 
mined, if  they  could  not  prevent  the  publication,  a' 
least  to  have  it  postponed. 

They  contended  that  Glamorgan's  treaty  was  not  to 
be  depended  on,  as  it  contained  no  positive  guarantee 
for  its  fulfilment.  All  his  promises  were  dependent  on 
two  contingencies .  the  good  will  of  a  capricious 
monarch,  and  his  ability  to  realize  tliem.  Moreover, 
Glamorgan  could  not  now  be  regarded  as  an  agent  free 
to  treat  on  behalf  of  his  majesty,  inasmuch  as  he  was 
bound  to  appear  before  the  council  board  within  thirty 
days  after  notice,  so  that  they  knew  not  how  soon  he 
might  be  summoned,  and  be  obliged  to  leave  the  treaty 
without  the  royal  sanction. 

On  the  other  side  it  was  as  vehemently  argued  that 
the  Marquess  of  Ormond's  powers  to  treat  with  the 
confederates,  should  terminate  on  the  first  of  April, 
and  in  case  they  could  not  conclude  with  him,  the  king 
might  revoke  his  commission,  and  thus  deprive  the 
country  of  such  a  valuable  acquisition.  They  were 
empowered  to  state,  on  the  lord  lieutenant's  behadf,  that 
if  the  treaty  was  concluded,  he  would  join  with  the 
confederates  in  expelling  the  Puritans,  and  the  Marquess 
of  Clanricarde  would  come  to  their  aid.  A  more 
urgent  argument  advanced  by  the  Ormondist  party  was, 
that  if,  instead  of  a  peace,  they  only  made  a  truce,  the 
soldiers  who  were  destined  to  proceed  to  Chester,  might 
refuse  to  march,  fearing  that  on  landing  they  might  be 
treated  as  rebels  by  the  royal  troops. 

But  these  arguments  were  strenuously  combated  by 
the  clergy.  They  insisted  that  it  was  easy  for  liie 
Marquess  of  Ormond  to  procure  a  renewal  of  his  patent, 
nor  could  they  conceive  how   the.  royal  troops   could 

at  the  Irish  soldiers  as  rebels,  without  injuring  the 


CON-FEDERATIOX    OF    KILKENNT.  31 

royal  cause.  The  three  thousand  who  were  now  ready 
to  march  and  embark,  were  but  an  instahnent  of  the 
ten  for  which  Glamorgan  had  stipulated,  and  it  was  not 
witliin  the  range  of  probabiiities  that  they  would  be 
maltreated  by  the  royalists,  as  such  conduct  on  their 
part  would  clearly  prevent  the  rest  from  setting  foot  in 
England  or  Wales. 

Whilst  these  discussions  were  pending,  an  incident 
occurred  which  was' calculated  to  confirm  the  clergy  in 
their  opposition  to  Ormond's  peace.  The  nuncio  pro- 
duced letters  from  Rome  which  had  been  despatched 
early  in  November,  informing  him  that  a  treaty  was 
about  to  be  concluded  between  the  pope  and  the  queen* 
of  England,  on  behalf  of  the  Irish  Catholics.  Sir 
Kenelm  Digby,  the  queen's  agent  at  the  papal  court, 
had  been  fully  empowered  to  make  terms  for  the  Irish 
Catholics,  which  having  received  the  approval  of  the 
head  of  the  church,  could  not  but  be  highly  advanta- 
geous and  honourable.  The  treaty,  which  was  so 
materially  to  benefit  them,  included  the  English 
Catholics,  and  should  of  course  rouse  them  to  more 
strenuous  efforts  in  the  king's  cause.  Glamorgan,  in 
order  to  give  more  weight  to  tliis  argument,  asserted 
that  whilst  he  was  detained  in  custody,  Digby  informed 
him  that  in  case  the  holy  see  advanced  an  annual  sum 
for  the  king's  support,  his  majesty  would  extend  the 
benefit  of  the  pontifical  treaty  to  the  English  Catholics. f 

It  would  appear  that  the  president  of  the  confederates 
had  been  notified  of  the  proceedings  at  Rome ;  but,  as  if 
attaching  little  or  no  importance  to  them,  he  did  not  di- 
vulge  the  intelligence  to  the  council. 

Muskerry  and  Mountgarret  affected  to  believe  that 
this  negotiation  was  nothing  but  a  fiction,  and  meant  to 
delay  the  publication  of  the  peace  with  Ormond.     Ley- 


*  At  this  moment  there  was  a  memorial  sent  to  the  queen  by  Col. 
Rtzrwilliara,  praj-ing  her  majesty  to  vouchsafe  to  prevail  with  liis 
majesty  to  condescend  to  tlie  just  demands  of  his  Irish  subjects,  the 
confederate  Catholics,  at  least  in  private,  and  the  colonel  undertook  to 
bring  an  army  of  10,000  men  or  more  into  Enghmd.  He  required  tliut 
he  should  be  appointed  commander-in-chief,  &c.,  -with  a  month's  pay 
In  advance  for  the  men  on  tiieir  landing.  Ihe  queen  expressed  her 
gatisfaction,  but  the  money  was  not  forthcoming.— ^or^ow,  155. 

t  Hinuccini,  06. 


132  CONFEDERATION    OF   KILKENNY. 

burn*  denounced  it  as  non-existent,  and  was  sliarply  re- 
buked by  the  nuncio,  and  the  general  feeling  of  the 
laity  in  tlie  assembly  was,  that  such  a  negotiation  on  the 
part  of  the  queen  consort,  herself  unautliorized,  was  nu- 
gatory and  futile. 

Notwithstanding  this  acrimonious  controversy,  the 
nuncio  induced  the  bishops  to  sign  an  agreement,  by 
which  they  bound  themselves  to  accept  no  other  terms 
^ut  what  Avere  stipulated  in  the  pontifical  treaty.  He 
at  the  same  time  caused  Glamorgan  to  avow  that  he 
would  not  any  further  pursue  liis  own  private  treaty, 
but  insist  on  the  new  project  as  more  conducive  to  the 
king's  welfare  and  that  of  the  Catholics  of  Ireland. — 
The  argument  of  the  nuncio  was,  tliat  it  did  not  become 
a  true  son  of  the  church  to  put  liis  own  peace  in  compe- 
tition with  that  approved  by  the  pope  ;  and  he  therefore 
should  wait  for  the  original  from  Konie. 

On  the  7th  of  February  the  nuncio  addressed  the 
council,  extolling  the  queen's  negotiation  with  his  holiness, 
who  had  already  contributed  a  considerable  sum  to  Sir 
Kenelm  Digby  for  the  maintenance  of  the  king.  He 
produced  the  heads  of  the  treaty  which  had  not  as  yet 
been  signed,  and  expatiated  on  the  good-wiU  which  the 
pope  entertained  for  the  English  Catholics,  evidencing 
the  fact  by  the  offer  which  his  holiness  had  made  of  con- 
tributing annually  one  hundred  thousand  crowns  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  royal  troops,  till  the  king,  in  a  free 
parliament,  would  be  able  to  repeal  all  the  penal  laws 
against  the  English  Catholics.  On  the  word  of  a  prince 
he  assured  them  that  the  conclusion  of  these  articles 
might  be  hourly  expected,  as  it  was  probable  that  Sir 
Kenelm  Digby  was  already  on  his  way. 

But  nothing    could    abate    the    eagerness   of   Lord 


*  This  Dr.  Leybum  was  an  Englishman,  and  one  of  the  queen's 
chaplains.  He  may  be  said  to  have  been  tlie  leader  of  a  small  faction 
of  the  clergy  who  opposed  the  niincio's  views.  This  faction  consisted 
of  Walsh  and  a  few  otliers,  whom  the  nuncio  represents  as  preachuig 
tliis  slavish  doctrine  : — '■  1  he  Jewish  people  were  years  v^ithout 
a  Temple— Our  Lord  instituted  the  eucharistic  sacrifice  in  a  private 
domicile;  why,  therefore,  should  the  Catholics  insist  on  the  restitution 
of  their  temples  ?"  The  real  state  of  tlie  case,  however,  was  simply 
this  : — Kinuccinj  was  deteiTnined,  in  due  time,  to  enforce  the  monastic 
nile  in  all  its  rigom',  and  eiTatic  spirits  like  W  alsh's  and  Caron^i 
dreaded  Uie  observances  to  which  it  would  hiive  bound  them.— T.  Min. 


CONFEDERATION    OV    KILKENNY 


135 


Ormond's  adherents  for  the  peace.  For  fuUy  five  days 
the  assembly  had  more  the  appearance  of  a  conclave 
concerned  with  abstract  speculations,  than  real  practical 
measures,  and  it  was  not  till  the  fifteenth  of  the  month 
that  Glamorgan  succeeded  in  appointing  seven  of  the 
confederates  to  confer  with  the  nuncio  "for  removing 
mistakes  and  reconciling  differences." 

On  the  18th  Glamorgan  signed  an  instrument  in 
which  he  ratified  the  articles  between  the  queen  and 
the  pope,  and  undertook  that  they  should  be  confirmed 
by  the  king,  provided  that,  if  the  original  articles  of 
that  treaty  arrived  by  the  first  of  May,  the  said 
instrument  was  to  be  void  ;  and  in  the  mean  time  to  be 
kept  secret,  unless  the  political  articles  of  the  peace 
with  the  lord  lieutenant  should  be  published  before. 
In  order  to  put  an  end  to  the  debate,  a  convention 
was  signed  on  the  eighteenth,  between  the  nuncio  and 
the  seven  deputies,  whereby  it  was  stipulated  "  to  con- 
tinue the  cessation  till  May  the  1st,  in  expectation  of 
the  original  of  the  pope's  treaty,  and  then  the  nuncio 
should  ratify  what  he  and  Glamorgan  would  agree  on, 
that  there  might  be  no  further  delay  of  an  honourable 
peace."  But  this  should  be  no  obstruction  to  the  con- 
federates treating  with  Ormond  about  political  matters, 
provided  they  came  to  no  conclusion  or  publication  of 
articles,  nor  proceeded  to  any  alteration  of  the  civil 
government,  nor  did  anything  to  the  prejudice  of  the 
transaction  between  Glamorgan  and  the  nuncio.* 

Glamorgan,  who  Avas  now  more  urgent  than  ever  for 
the  immediate  relief  of  Chester,  took  an  oath  that  he 
would  stand  by  the  nuncio  against  all  opposers  of  the 
pope's  treaty,  and  the  nuncio's  measures  for  the  good  of 
religion,  and  the  service  of  the  king — for  which  end  he 
promised  to  procure  from  France  a  supply  of  ships, 
arms,  and  money,  which  were  to  be  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  confederates.  This  was  given  under  lus 
hand  and  seal  the  19th  of  February.  Two  days  after- 
wards the  nuncio  came  to  the  assembly,  exhorting  them 
to  adopt  vigorous  measures  against  the  parliamentarians, 
and  promising  them  a  peace  within  two  months.  More 
than    two   months  had  now  been  consumed   in  thes<f 


•  Carte,  i.  666. 


134  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

debates,  and  it  was  not  till  the  28th  of  March  that  the 
articles  of  Ormond's  treaty  vrere  signed  by  the  marquess, 
on  the  king's  behalf;  and  the  Lord  Muskerry,  Sir 
Robert  Talbot,  John  Dillon,  Patrick  D'Arcy,  and 
Geoffrey  Browne,  on  the  part  of  the  confederates.  At 
the  same  time  with  these  articles  was  signed  a  con- 
ditional obligation,  whereby  the  confederates  engaged 
to  transport  10,000  foot  into  England  or  Wales ;  6,000 
by  April  1st,  and  4,000  by  May  1st,  following;  and 
till  the  men  were  shipped,  the  articles  were  to  be 
deposited  in  the  hands  of  Clanricarde,  and  not  to  be  of 
force  or  published  till  the  1st  of  May,  nor  then,  unless 
upon  sending  of  the  men.  And  in  case  the  above- 
mentioned  forces  were  not  sent  (unless  hindered  by 
reasonable  cause,  allowed  as  such  by  the  Marquess  of 
Ormond),  the  articles  were  to  be  of  no  effect,  and  their 
counterparts  returned  to  the  respective  parties. 
The  following  is  an  abbreviate  of  the  articles  : — 

1 .  "  That  the  professors  of  the  Roman  Catholick  reli- 
gion in  the  kingdom  of  Ireland,  or  any  of  them,  be  not 
bound  or  obliged  to  take  the  oath  of  supremacy,  ex- 
pressed in  the  second  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  commonly 
called  the  oath  of  supremacy. 

2.  "  That  a  parliament  may  be  held  on  or  before  the 
last  day  of  November  next ;  and  that  these  articles 
agreed  on,  may  be  transmitted  into  England,  according 
to  the  usual  form,  and  passed,  provided  that  nothing 
may  be  passed  to  the  prejudice  of  either  Protestant  or 
Catholick  party,  other  than  such  things  as  upon  this 
treaty  shall  be  concluded. 

3.  "  That  all  acts  made  by  botn  or  either  houses  of 
parliament,  to  the  blemish  or  prejudice  of  his  majesties 
Roman  Catholick  subjects,  since  the  7tli  of  August, 
1641,  shall  be  vacated  by  acts  of  parliament. 

4.  "  That  no  actions  of  law  shall  be  removed  before 
the  said  parliament,  in  case  It  be  sooner  called  than  the 
last  of  November  ;  and  that  all  impediments  which  may 
hinder  the  Roman  Catholicks  to  sit  in  the  next  parliament, 
shall  be  removed  before  the  parliament  sit. 

5.  "  That  all  debts, do  stand  in  state,  as  they  were  in 
the  beginning  of  these  troubles. 

6.  "  That  the  plantation  in  Connaught,  Kilkenny 
ll>«.re.   Tliomond,    Tipperary,    Limrick.    and   Wicklo' 


CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 


ibQ 


inay  be  revoked  by  act  of  parliament,  and  their  estates 
secured  in  the  next  sessions. 

7.  "  That  the  natives  may  erect  one  or  more  inns  of 
court  in  or  near  the  city  of  Dublin,  they  taking  an  oath ; 
as  also  one  or  more  universities,  to  be  governed  as  his 
majesty  shall  appoint ;  as  also  to  have  schools  for  edu- 
cation of  youth  in  the  kingdom. 

8.  "  That  places  of  command,  of  forts,  castles,  garri- 
sons, towns,  and  other  places  of  importance,  and  all 
places  of  honour,  profit,  and  trust,  shall  be  conferred 
with  equal  indifferency  upon  the  Catholicks,as  his  majes- 
ties other  subjects,  according  to  their  respective  merits 
and  abilities. 

9.  "  That  £12,000  sterUng  be  paid  the  king  yearly, 
for  the  court  of  wards. 

10.  '•  That  no  peer  may  be  capable  of  more  proxiea 
than  two.  And  that  no  lords  vote  in  parliament,  unless, 
in  five  years,  a  lord  baron  purchase  in  Ireland  £200 
per  annum,  a  viscount  £400,  and  an  earl  £600,  or  lose 
their  votes  till  they  purchase,   • 

11.  "That  the  independency  of  the  i>arliament  of 
Ireland  on  the  kingdom  of  England  shall  be  decided  by 
declaration  of  both  houses,  agreeable  to  the  laws  of  the 
kingdom  of  Ireland. 

12.  "  That  the  council  table  shall  contain  itself  within 
its  bounds  in  handUng  matters  of  state,  as  patents  of 
plantations,  offices,  &c.,  and  not  meddle  with  matter  be- 
twixt party  and  party. 

13.  ♦'  That  all  acts  concerning  staple  or  native  com- 
modities of  this  kingdom  shall  be  repealed,  except  wooli 
and  woollfels ;  and  that  the  commissioners,  the  Lord 
Mountgarret,  and  others,  named  in  the  twenty-sixth  ar- 
ticle, shall  be  authorized,  under  the  great  seal,  to  mode- 
rate and  ascertain  the  rates  of  merchandize  to  be  ex- 
ported and  imported. 

14.  '•  That  no  governor  be  longer  resident  than  his 
majesty  shall  find^  for  the  good  of  his  people,  and  that 
they  make  no  purchase,  other  than  by  lease,  for  the  pro- 
vision of  their  houses. 

15.  y  That  an  act  of  oblivion  may  be  passed,  without 
extending  to  any  who  will  not  accept  of  this  peace. 

16.  **That  no  governor,  or  any  other  prime  ministe.f 


136  CONFEDERATION    OF  KILKENNY. 

of  state   in  Ireland,   shall  be   farmers  of   his    majesties 
customs. 

17.  "That  a  repeal  of  all  monopolies  be  passed. 

18.  "That  commissioners  be  appointed  to  regulate  the 
court  of  castle-chamber. 

19.  "  That  acts  prohibiting  plowing  by  horse  tails,  and 
burning  of  oats  in  straw,  be  repealed.* 

20.  '•  That  course  be  taken  against  the  disobedience  of 
the  cessation  and  peace. 

21.  "  That  such  graces  as  were  promised  by  his  majesty 
in  the  fourth  year  of  his  reign,  and  sued  for  by  a  commit- 
tee of  both  houses  of  parliament,  and  not  expressed  in 
these  articles,  may,  in  the  next  ensuing  parliament,  be 
desired  of  his  majesty. 

22.  "That  maritime  causes  be  determined  here,  with- 
out appeal  into  England. 

23  ' '  That  the  increase  of  rents  lately  raised  upon  the 
commission  of  defective  titles  be  repealed. 

24.  "  That  all  interests  of  money  due  by  way  of  debt, 
mortgage,  or  otherwise,  and  not  yet  satisfied  since  the  23d 
of  October,  1641,  to  pay  no  more  than  £5  per  cent. 

25.  "That  the  commissioners  have  power  to  deter- 
mine all  cases  within  their  quarters,  until  the  perfection 
of  these  articles  by  parliament,  and  raise  10,000  men  for 
his  majesty. 

26.  "That  the  Lord  Mountgarret,  Muskerry,  Sir  Da- 
niel O'Bryan,  Sir  Lucas  Dillon,  Nicholas  Plunket, 
Richard  Bealing,  Philip  Mac  Hugh  O'Relie,  Terlogh 
O'Neal,  Thomas  Flemming,  Patrick  Darcy,  Gerald  Fen- 
nel, and  Jefifery  Brown,  or  any  five  of  them,  be  for  the 
present  commissioners  of  the  peace,  Oyer  and  Terminer, 
and  gaol-delivery,  in  the  present  quarters  of  the  confede- 
rate Catholicks  ;  with  power  of  justise  of  peace.  Oyer  and 
Terminer  and  gaol-delivery,  as  in  former  times  of  peace 
they  have  usually  had. 

27.  "That  none  of  the  Roman  Catholick  party,  be- 
fore there  be  a  settlement  by  parliament,  sue,  implead, 
or  arrest,  or  be  sued,  impleaded,  or  arrested,  in  any 
court,   other  than  before  the  commissioners,  or  in _  the 

*  This  article  needs  some  explanation,  as  it  is  hard  to  reconcile  such 
barbarous  usages  with  a  period  so  enlightened. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNT.  137 

eerferal  corporations  or  other  judicatures  within  their 
quarters. 

28.  "That  the  confederate  Catholicks  continue  in 
their  possessions  until  settlement  by  parliament,  and  to 
be  c(^mmanded  by  his  majesties  chief  governour,  with 
tlie  advice  and  consent  of  the  commissioners,  or  any  five 
of  them. 

29.  ' '  That  all  customs,  from  the  perfection  of  these 
articles,  are  to  be  paid  into  his  majesties  receipt,  and  to 
liis  use ;  as  also  all  rent  due  at  Easter  next,  till  a  full 
settlement  of  parliament. 

30.  *'  That  the  commissioners  of  Oyer  and  Terminer, 
and  gaol-delivery,  shall  have  power  to  hear  and  deter- 
mine all  offences  committed  or  done,  or  to  be  committed 
or  done,  from  the  15th  day  of  September,  1643,  until 
the  first  day  of  the  next  parliament." 

Such  was  the  result  of  these  negotiations  by  which  the 
Catholics  of  Ireland  were  left  in  the  strange  condition  of 
an  alliance  Avith  the  king  through  his  private  agent,  and 
of  suspended  hostility  through  his  lord  lieutenant. 

It  has  been  asserted  by  Clarendon,  that  tlie  nuncio 
consented  to  the  treaty  which  was  now  concluded  with 
Ormond ;  but  that  assertion  is  not  founded  on  fact.  He 
steadily  opposed  it ;  and  early  in  February  caused  the 
bishops  to  sign  a  protest  against  any  treaty  which  did 
not  guarantee  the  free  exercise  of  religion,  and  the  re- 
storation of  the  church  property,  as  well  as  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  Catholic  lord  lieutenant  to  succeed  Ormond. 
In  fact,  he  could  not,  with  any  degree  of  consistency, 
have  assented  to  that  peace ;  for,  of  its  thirty  articles, 
the  only  one  which  touched  the  question  of  religion  is 
the  first,  by  which  it  was  agreed  "  That  the  professors 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  in  this  kingdom  of  Ire- 
land be  not  bound  to  take  the  oath  of  supremacy  ex- 
pressed in  the  second  of  Queen  Elizabeth,"  whilst  the 
vital  subject  was  remitted  to  the  consideration  of  his 
majesty. 

The  meeting  of  the  general  assembly,  before  breaking 
up,  passed  two  resolutions,  which  tended  much  to  expe- 
dite business  and  remove  abuses.  By  the  first  it  was 
determined,  tliat  for  the  future  the  supreme  council 
should  be  reduced  to  nine  members ;  that  is  to  say,  each 
province  was  to  return  two,  who,  with  the  secretary 


138  CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

made  nine.  This  was  found  to  be  matter  of  great  ad. 
vantage,  as  much  inconvenience  was  tne  result  of  the 
great  number  who  sat  in  their  former  assemblies.  The 
second  resolution  ordained  that  the  clergy  should  fur- 
nish, through  their  own  hands,  two-thirds  of  the  church 
revenues  for  the  maintenance  of  the  war,  as  many  frauds 
had  resulted  from  a  system  which,  in  this  particular, 
needed  much  reform. 

The  supreme  council  remained  at  Kilkenny,  and  the 
nuncio,  seconded  by  the  bishops,  set  about  remedying 
the  deplorable  state  to  which  the  country  had  been  re- 
duced by  armistices,  and  the  jealousies  which  were  fo- 
mented by  the  contending  parties.  The  adherents  of 
Ormond,  more  intent  on  sending  supplies  to  England 
than  securing  themselves,  had  sadly  neglected  the  mili- 
tary affairs  of  Ireland.  The  time  which  they  consumed 
disputing  in  their  cabals,  had  been  turned  to  good  ac- 
count by  Munroe  in  the  north,  and  the  parliamentary, 
lord  president  in  Connaught.  Kinuccini  urged  the  su- 
preme council  to  establish  a  military  tribunal,  to  which 
ail  the  generals  and  officers  commanding  the  confederate 
troops  should  be  amenable.  Hitherto  the  commanders, 
as  well  as  inferior  officers,  had  been  elected  by  their  re- 
spective provinces.  Clanricarde  remained  neutral,  and 
the  nuncio  indulged  a  hope  of  drawing  him  into  the 
confederacy.  •  In  fact,  the  neutrality  of  Lord  Clanri- 
carde was  his  reason  for  not  presenting  him  with  a  bull 
which  he  had  brought  from  Rome.  In  the  person  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Tuam  the  confederates  experienced  a 
great  loss,  and  the  record  Avhich  the  nuncio  has  left  of 
his  character,  cannot  but  be  pleasing.  "  This  prelate," 
says  he,  "when  proceeding  to  Sligo  took  leave  of  his 
friends,  quoting  some  old  prophecies  concerning  the 
church  over  which  he  presided,  (in  sooth,  the  peo- 
ple of  this  country  are  much  given  to  predictions,)  and 
stating  that  he  was  destined  to  return  no  more.  When 
surrounded  by  his  enemies,  he  boldly  declared  that  ha 
rejoiced  to  lay  down  his  life  for  religion  ;  and  gloriously 
has  he  closed  the  period  of  his  labours,  which  have  er« 
now  procured  him  a  reward  in  heaven."* 

After  the  bishop's  death,  the  command  devolved  on 

*  BlnacclQi  Konziataro,  p.  fis. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  139 

Hie  heroic  Bourke ;  and  it  was  resolved  that  he  should 
not  be  removed.    Preston,  who  commanded  in  Leinster, 

was  far  from  being  high  in  the  esteem  of  the  nuncio 

Although  an  experienced  soldier,  he  had  not  much  love 
for  the  representatives  of  the  "old  Irish."  He  was  a 
man  of  whimsical  character,  and  full  of  all  the  preju- 
dices which  the  Catholics  of  the  Pale  had  ever  nourished 
for  their  Celtic  brethren.  Alternately  swayed  by  his 
attachmejit  to  Ormond  and  his  love  for  the  Catholic  re- 
ligion, he  did  not  possess  those  attributes  which  belong 
to  a  man  of  bold  and  decided  views.  His  hatred  of 
Owen  Roe  was  another  cause  of  the  nuncio's  distrust ; 
for  although  O'Neill  and  Preston  had  served  from  early 
youth  under  the  same  standard,  there  existed  the  most 
rancorous  hatred  between  them.  O'Neill  despised  the 
Leinster  general,  and  he  in  return  did  not  fail,  on  all 
XJcasions,  to  depreciate  and  ridicule  his  rival.  Strange 
taat  at  such  a  time  these  feelings  of  jealousy  and  mutual 
hatred  should  have  existed  1*  The  province  of  Ulster 
was  overrun  by  the  Scotch ;  and,  as  we  have  already 
stated,  the  rival  pretensions  of  Owen  Roe  and  Sir  Plic- 
lim  had  done  incalculable  mischief.  Indeed,  nothing 
short  of  the  delegated  majesty  of  Rome  could  have 
brought  about  a  reconciliation.! 

Munster  was  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Inchi- 
quin,  and  the  defection  of  Thomond  aggravated  the  mis- 
fortunes of  that  province.  Castlehaven,  in  the  recent 
campaign,  had  not  acted  with  spirit,  and,  in  complai- 
sance to  Ormond,  did  not  press  the  siege  of  Youghal ; 
the  fortress  of  Duncannon  had  been  totally  neglected ; 
■»nd,  although  it  commanded  the  entrance  to  Wexford 
and  Ross,  the  bickerings  of  the  confederates  did  not  give 
them  time  to  garrison  or  strengthen  it. 

Rinuccini  bitterly  inveighed  against  this  state  of 
things,  and  charged  the  supreme  council  with  indiffer- 
ence to  matters  of  such  mighty  moment.  But  the 
Bpring  had  now  come,  and  he  resolved  to  strike  a  blow 
which  was  calculated  to  convince  the  Irish  that  they 

•  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill  was  married  to  Preston's  daughter.  Henr7, 
the  son  of  Owen  Roe,  was  married  to  the  daughter  of  Luke  FitZe*- 
laid,  and  was  slain  in  the  year  1655,  in  the  noith,  after  quarter  given- 
— Morrisons  Threnodia. 

t  r.  Ai.azzi,  p.l36. 


i-i  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

ehojki  place  more  reliance  on  their  own  swords  and 
energies  than  on  the  delusive  promises  of  a  king  "  who 
had  nothing  of  faith  or  generosity  in  him."  *  Before 
distributing  the  arms  and  money  which  he  had  caused 
to  be  brought  to  Kilkenny,  the  nuncio  submitted  his 
plan  of  a  campaign  to  the  council.  He  inclined  to  make 
Ulster  the  seat  of  war,  for  the  following  reasons:—. 
First — Its  vicinity  to  Scotland  gave  easy  access  to  the 
enemy.  Secondly— The  devotion  of  its  inhabitants  to 
the  Catholic  religion  was  more  fervent  and  sincere  than 
that  of  the  other  provinces.  It  was  now  the  granary  of 
Munroe,  who  was  continually  detaching  parties  of  his 
marauders  into  Connaught.  But  the  more  powerful 
reason  was  the  superior  generalship  of  Owen  Koe,  who 
confessedly  surpassed  all  the  others  in  military  know- 
ledge. 

Moreover,  it  was  easy  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  men 
who  were  now  crowding  round  his  standard.  "The 
Boldiers  of  Ulster,"  says  he,  "and,  in  some  parts,  those 
of  Connaught,  naturally  accustomed  to  suffering,  and 
habituated  to  the  frosts  of  that  northern  climate,  have 
few  wishes  and  few  wants.  Caring  but  little  for  laread, 
they  live  upon  shamrock  and  butter.  Their  drink  is 
milk,  and,  as  a  great  luxury,  usquebaugh.  Provided 
they  have  shoes  and  a  few  utensils,  a  woollen  cloak 
serves  for  their  covering,  more  zealously  careful  of  their 
sword  and  musket  than  of  their  personal  comfort.  They 
seldom  touch  money,  and  therefore  complain  but  little 
about  it."f  In  the  latter  respect  they  stood  in  strange 
contrast  with  the  Leinster  troops  under  Preston,  for 
they  served  for  pay,  which  was  regulated  according  to  the 
Flemish  standard. 

Muskerry  and  Mountgarret  did  not  relish  the  nuncio's 
partiality  for  tlie  men  of  Ulster ;  nor  were  they  roused 
to  a  sense  of  the  dangers  which  threatened  that  pro- 
A'ince,  till  the  fugitives  who  were  driven  before  Munroe's 
bands  took  shelter  under  the  walls  of  Kilkenny,  and 
foreshadowed  the  fate  which  menaced  themselves,  if  not 
ipeedily  averted. 

Moved  by  these  considerations,  the  nuncio  made  up 

•  Lucy  H^itchinson's  Memoiraof  her  Husband,   p.  66. 
t  Aiazzi,  p.  S39.     Vide  Lublin  Ennin'x,  June,  1844. 


CONFEDERATION   Of    XILKPZNNY.  141 

his  mind  to  give  the  entire  of  the  supplies  to  the  army 
under  Owen  Roe.  But,  to  prevent  the  ill-feeling  which 
he  was  told  should  result,  he  consented,  however  re- 
luctantly, to  bestow  two- thirds  of  the  arras,  ammunition, 
and  money  on  General  Preston.  The  council,  moreover, 
voted  £3,000  to  Ormond,  on  a  proviso  that  he  would 
immediately  march  into  the  east  of  Ulster,  and  operate 
against  the  Scotch. 

Clanricarde,  alarmed  at  the  advance  of  Coote,  con- 
sented to  take  the  field  in  his  province ;  and,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  an  enemy  in  Leinster,  Preston  was  commanded 
to  proceed  and  act  under  him.  Muskerry,  whose  mill- 
tary  acquirements  were  not  of  a  grand  order,  was  to 
proceed  to  Munster,  and  recover  the  castles  delivered  by 
Thomond  to  the  parliament,  and,  if  possible,  to  over- 
whelm  Inchiquin. 

The  nuncio  had  already  sent  one  of  his  retinue  to 
report  on  the  state  of  tlie  fortress  of  Duncannon ;  and, 
when  informed  of  its  immediate  wants,  he  obliged 
Preston  to  look  after  its  defence.  Many  and  bitter  have 
been  the  reproaches  cast  on  the  head  of  Rinuccini ;  but, 
nevertheless,  it  must  be  admitted,  that  he  sought  to 
convince  the  Irish  that  they  had  within  themselves  re- 
sources which,  if  properly  directed,  might  have  insured 
success.  To  use  his  own  sentiment,  he  found  them 
**  dazzled  by  the  splendour  of  England,  and  chilled  by 
the  shadow  of  her  greatness."  If  he  failed  in  every 
other  respect,  does  he  not  deserve  some  praise  for  having 
striven  to  teach  the  confederates  that  they  might  have 
obscured  that  glittering  despotism  which  had  so  long  and 
so  fearfully  ground  them  ? 

Of  all  these  arrangements,  nothing  gave  the  nuncio 
greater  satisfaction  than  the  settlement  of  the  question 
between  Sir  Plielim  O'Neill  and  his  great  kinsman. 
"  The  generous  reconciliation"  which  had  been  effected 
through  him  gave  promise  of  some  grand  result.  In  a 
spirit  savouring  of  the  prophetic,  he  announced  to  the 
assembly  that  Ulster  should  soon  be  rid  of  its  invaders, 
and  the  cathedral  of  Armagh  restored  to  the  ancient 
worship.  There  was  nothing  wanting  to  perfect  these 
plans,  but  the  presence  of  Invernizi,  with  the  light  ves- 
eeis  which  were  meant  to  cruise  along  the  coast,  an'l 


14-. 


confedehation  of  Kilkenny. 


Intercept  the  supplies  which  the  parliament  Avas 
lending  to  their  adherents  in  the  seaport  towns. 

Nor  was  the  solicitude  of  the  nuncio  and  the  confede- 
rates for  the  king's  relief  in  the  least  diminished  by  the 
more  urgent  exigencies  of  Ireland.  By  order  of  the  su- 
preme council  4,000  men  were  drawn  out  of  the  stand- 
ing armies  of  Leinster  and  Munster,  and  2,000  more  cut 
of  the  other  provinces,  and  a  day  was  appointed  for  their 
,  embarkation  at  Passage,  in  the  county  of  Waterford. 
An  order  was  issued  for  levying  four  thousand  more, 
who  were  to  be  transported  into  England  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. That  the  troops  might  be  sent  without  delay,  an 
embargo  was  laid  on  all  vessels  in  the  river  of  Waterford 
and  in  the  harbours  of  Wexford  and  Dungarvan. 

But  when  everything  promised  fair,  intelligence  was 
brought  to  Glamorgan  that  the  king  had  disavowed  hira 
as  far  back  as  the  29th  of  January ;  and  soon  after  came 
the  news  of  the  capture  of  Chester  by  the  parliament. 
There  Avas  now  no  place  for  the  Irish  to  land  on  the  coast 
of  England,  and  the  men  returned  to  Clonmel  and  Cashel. 
Three  hundred  of  them  followed  Lord  Digby,  to  form  a 
body-guard  for  the  Prince  of  Wales,  who  was  said  to  have 
taken  refuge  in  Jersey;  and  a  larger  body  sailed  for 
Scotland,  to  assist  Montrose,  under  whom  they  per- 
formed prodigies  of  valour. 

Rinuccini  did  not  conceal  his  feelings  on  this  occasion  ; 
for,  although  he  grieved  over  the  king's  losses,  he  was 
heartily  rejoiced  that  those  troops  were  not  sent  out  of 
Ireland,  where  their  serA'ices  were  so  much  required. 
Moreover,  such  a  force  could  be  of  little  avail  to  Charles, 
DOAv  that  his  enemies  were  in  the  ascendant ;  and  sup- 
posing that  the  Irish  troops  had  effected  a  landing  in 
England  or  Wales,  without  cavalry  to  cover  them,  or 
strong  places  to  receive  them,  their  destruction  must 
have  been  inevitable,  for,  by  an  act  passed  in  October, 
1644,  it  was  ordered  *'  that  no  quarter  should  be  given 
to  any  Irishman,  or  papist  born  in  Ireland.'^ 

Of  the  300  men  who  accompanied  Digby,  100  wert 
left  to  garrison  Scilly,  and  facilitate  the  communication 
between  Ireland  and  the  Continent;  and  it  was  now 
tliought  that  the  remainder  would  return  with  the  Prince 
of  Wales  to  Ireland ;  but  the  prince's  advisers  objecting 


CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY.  143 

'O  such  a  step,  he  fled  to  the  queen  at  Paris,  whither  ho 
<ras  soon  followed  by  Digby,  who  had  left  the  Irish  so!- 
aiers  to  sirift  for  themselves.  Digby  was  received  by  the 
queen  with  the  most  flattering  assurances  of  regard  for 
himself  and  Ormond.  He  exaggerated  the  anxiety  of 
his  colleague  for  the  king's  welfare,  and  deprecated  the 
*'  absurd  pretensions"  *  of  the  Irish  Cathohcs,  who  would 
not  accede  to  the  lord  lieutenant's  terms.  An  active 
partisan  of  Ormond,  and  a  virulent  opponent  of  the  just 
claims  of  the  Irish  Catholics,  he  represented  them  in  the 
falsest  light,  and  succeeded  in  getting  from  Cardinal 
Mazarin  the  sum  of  10,000  pistoles,  "  to  enable  the  Mar- 
quess of  Ormond  to  satisfy  his  Protestant  officers,  and  dis- 
place those  whom  he  had  cause  to  distrust."  The  queen, 
who  was  averse  to  the  prince's  landing  in  Ireland,  prcv 
mised  a  supply  of  further  sums,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
declared  that  she  would  never  sufier  Sir  Kenelm  Digby 
"  to  hearken  to  anything  on  the  subject  of  the  pontifical 
treaty  with  Ireland,  as  the  business  of  thftt  kingdom  was 
already  in  those  hands  that  were  best  able  to  manage  it, 
and  that  whatsoever  was  sought  for  should  not  be  ex- 
pected from  any  one  but  the  lord  lieutenant."! 

The  promise  made  to  the  nuncio  of  waiting  till  the  let 
of  May  for  the  arrival  of  Sir  Kenelm  Digby,  who  had  not 
come,  caused  the  commissioners,  when  they  signed  the 
peace  on  the  28th  of  March,  to  agree  that  it  should  lie 
as  an  escroll  in  the  hands  of  Clanricarde,  till  they  had 
Bent  the  10,000  men  into  England,  and  it  should  be 
thought  proper  to  proclaim  the  peace  ;  but  now  that  that 
time  had  elapsed,  the  supreme  council  instructed  Plun- 
ket  to  repair  to  Dublin,  in  order  to  convince  Ormond  of 
the  impossibility  of  sending  the  forces  for  which  they 
stipulated.  Mr.  Plunket  was  charged  to  desire  the  lord 
lieutonant  to  declare  his  judgment  of  such  impossibility 
in  writing,  according  to  the  proviso  in  the  defeasance. 
He  was  likewise  instructed  to  declare  the  necessity  of  the 
nnion  of  the  entire  nation ;  and,  if  the  present  publica- 
tion of  the  articles  of  peace  was  necessary  for  that  pur- 


*  Such  has  ever  been  the  vrhlnin?  tone  of  men  like  Curry,  and 
others,  who,  yielding  to  expediency,  overlooked  the  grand  principle  oi 
jastice  and  right. 
Carte's  Orm. 


J4*  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

pose,  to  show  that  they  could  not  avoid  publishing,  at 
the  same  time,  the  articles  with  Glamorgan,  for  fear  of  a 
rupture  among  themselves,  and  to  prevent  the  stopping 
of  foreign  supplies ;  but  in  case  his  excellency  did  not 
think  the  present  the  fitting  moment  to  proclaim  the 
peace,  Mr.  Plunket  was  to  beseech  him  to  act  as  a  peer 
of  the  realm  in  the  meditated  attack  on  the  Scots. 

The  occasion  of  the  latter  instruction  was,  that  Sir 
Charles  Coote,  with  the  Laggan  forces,  had  penetrated 
into  the  counties  of  Roscommon  and  Galway,  with  tlie 
intention  of  bringing  supplies  into  Thomond,  for  the 
relief  of  Bunratty.  But  fearing  that  the  attempt  might 
fail,  the  parliamentarian  general  contented  himself  with 
burning  the  crops  about  Portumna  and  Loughrea,  and 
then  returned  to  his  quarters  with  large  preys  of  corn 
and  cattle. 

Irritated  by  the  rapacity,  and  the  wanton  butchery 
of  Coote,  Clanricarde  appealed  to  Ormond  for  redress, 
and  called  on  him  to  proclaim  Sir  Charles  and  his 
adherents  traitors  and  rebels.  There  was  no  palliation 
for  their  guilt,  but  Ormond  urged  that  the  council 
would  not  consent  to  such  a  proposal,  as  the  most  of 
them,  and  he  in  particular,  were  far  from  wishing  to 
offend  the  parliament  and  the  faction  in  England. 
Strange  fact !  The  man  whose  exuberant  loyalty 
would  have  prompted  him  to  proclaim  tlie  Catholics, 
was  squeamish  and  punctilious  in  all  matters  which 
might  lessen  his  fame  in  the  eyes  of  Cromwell's  myrmi- 
dons. He  had  an  object  to  attain  with  the  avowed 
enemies  of  the  king  ;  and  the  confederates,  according  to 
him,  were  not  to  be  trusted.  But  the  secret  of  Ormond's 
craft  and  intrigue  was  simply  this :  by  proclaiming 
Coote  he  would  have  openly  declared  war  against  the 
parliament,  and  obliged  himself  to  act  against  the  faction 
in  unison  with  the  confederates,  and  the  overtlirow  of 
the  Puritans  must,  of  necessity,  have  strengthened  the 
hands  of  the  Catholics,  and  made  their  demands  irre- 
sistible. Ormond  would  perish  sooner  than  concede, 
and  he  well  knew  that  the  ruin  of  the  Catholic  body 
should  be  productive  of  immense  advantages  to  his  own 
aggrandisement. 

Thus,  when  it  was  expected  that  Ormond  would 
take  the  field  against  the   Scots,  as  he  had  promi^ea, 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


Tvheu  the  federative  assembly  had  "wted  him  thrt\ 
thousand  pounds  for  tlie  purpose ;  tliey  clearly  per 
ceived  that  he  had  no  such  intention,  and  that  his  re^ 
object  -was  to  delude  and  deceive  them.  He  was  now 
informed  that  the  king:  had  placed  himself  in  the  hands 
of  the  Scots  at  Newark,  The  intelligence  reached  him 
about  the  19th  of  May,  and  he  dismissed  the  comtiiis- 
sioners  to  the  committee  of  instruction  at  LiraeriA^'k, 
with  assurances  that  they  should,  soon  hear  from  him 
by  persons  whom  he  would  send  to  them  fully  autWo- 
rised  and  instructed  for  that  purpose.  Thus,  for  the 
present,  was  the  publication  of  the  peace  postponed. 

Ormond  had  played  his  part  adroitly,  and  won  hia 
game.  The  king  was  now  at  the  mercy  of  the  Scots; 
"they  were  the  greatest  opposers  of  the  Irish  peace, 
having  all  along  entertained  hopes  that  Ireland  should 
be  given  up  to  them,"*  and  come  vrhat  might  of  the  king, 
Ormond  had  done  nothing  to  compromise  himself,  with 
his  majesty's  enemies.  That  the  king  was  in  reality 
desirous  of  a  peace,  is  evident  from  his  letter  of  the  25th 
of  April,  wherein  he  expressed  the  desire ;  but  if  proof 
were  wanting,  it  is  to  be  found  in  Clanricarde's  commvi. 
nication  to  Ormond,  telling  him  that  his  excellency  was 
satisfied  that  such  was  his  majesty's  avowed  wish.f 
During  these  negotiations  the  nuncio  was  anxiously 
awaiting  the  articles  of  the  pontifical  treaty,  and  had 
to  labour  hard  to  convince  the  adhei-ents  of  Ormond 
that  it  might  be  speedily  expected.  He  sent  to  Rome 
to  remonstrate  against  the  delay,  and  to  his  mortifica- 
tion, was  informed  by  the  Cardinal  Barberini,  that  Sir 
K,  Digby  was  at  Paris  with  the  queen,  and  that  in  the 
event  of  concluding  with  her,  he  would  proceed  to  Rome 
instead  of  hastening  to  Ireland.  J 

It  was  now  determined  that  the  cessation  should  con- 
tinue till  June,  and  the  nuncio,  accompanied  by  some 
members  of  the  supreme  council,  proceeded  to  Limerick 
about  the  middle  of  May. 

The  troops  which  were  to  have  proceeded  to  England 
under  the  command  of  Glamorgan,  had  been  unsuccess- 
fully  employed  to  reduce  Bunratty  castle  since  ApriL 

»  Carte's  Oi-mond,  vol.  iii. 

t  This  lettei  i:  dated  the  3rd  of  June  following 


146  CONFEDEllATION    OF   KILKENNY. 

He  liad  marched  at  the  head  of  three  thousand  men 
from  Limerick  to  Six-mile  Bridge,  where  he  pitched  hi« 
camp,  and  proceeded  to  invest  the  fortress,  which  had 
been  garrisoned  and  provisioned  by  the  parliament  forces. 
By  a  vigorous  sally  from  the  garrison,  he  was  beaten  off 
and  driven  to  the  walls  of  Limerick,  and  then  retired 
on  Clonmel.  Rinuccini  caused  the  Earl  to  be  superseded 
by  Lord  Muskerry,  and  accompanied  the  army  in 
a  second  assault  on  this  stronghold,  which,  after  a  close 
siege  of  twelve  days,  surrendered  to  the  confederates. 
This  was  his  first  essay  in  military  tactics,  and  the 
speedy  reduction  of  the  place  was  mainly  attributable 
to  him.  Immediately  after  the  surrender  of  Bunratty 
he  caused  the  captured  banners  to  be  borne  in  triumph 
to  Limerick,  and  the  effect  produced  by  the  display  was 
to  exalt  him  in  the  esteem  of  the  popular  party. 

Inchiquin,  maddened  by  the  advance  of  the  confe- 
derate army,  was  burning  the  crops  and  inflicting  the 
most  heart-rending  barbarities  on  the  peasantry  of  Mun- 
ster,  and  the  supreme  council  solicited  Castlehaven  who 
had  been  a  spectator  of  the  operations  against  Bunratty, 
to  take  command  of  their  cavalry  and  march  against 
him.  He  reluctantly  accepted  the  command,  for  he  was 
not  disposed  to  offend  Ormond  who  was  far  from  being 
pleased  with  the  success  of  the  confederates,  and  he 
proceeded  to  Cloghnoftye,  "  on  the  mountain  that  runs 
oetween  the  counties  of  Cork  and  Limerick,"  and  found 
himself  at  the  head  of  one  thousand  horse,  Mac  Thomas 
was  his  second  in  command,  and  having  divided  their 
whole  force  into  squadrons,  they  hung  on  the  flanks  and 
rear  of  Inchiquin,  and  finally  prevented  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  crops  by  compelling  him  to  retire  to  his  gar- 
risons. * 

Whilst  the  confederates  were  gaining  these  advantages 
in  the  south.  Sir  Charles  Coote  was  perpetrating  the 
most  wanton  barbarities  in  the  west,  and  this  notwith- 
standing the  cessation.  It  was  in  vain  that  Clanricarde 
expostulated  with  Ormond,  and  required  him  to  pro- 
claim this  sanguinary  man,  who  under  the  title  of  lord 
president  of  Connaught,  was  carrying  death  and  havoc 
throughout  the  province.     But  Ormond  was  in  treaty 

»  Castlehaven's  Mem.  $6. 


^FEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  H^ 

frith  Coote,  "  in  full  assurance  to  make  advantage  of  it,"* 
and  would  neither  proclaim  the  parliamentarian  lord 
president,  nor  march  against  his  colleagues  in  Ulster. 

Preston,  who  ha  1  consented  to  act  under  Clanricarde, 
had  entered  the  province  at  the  head  of  about  three 
thousand  men.  He  calculated  on  exciting  the  peasantry 
against  the  Scotch,  and  recovering  Siigo.  But  he  did 
not  receive  that  cordial  co-operation  from  Clanricarde 
whicli  he  was  led  to  expect,  and  the  result  of  a  month's 
campaign  was  the  capture  of  the  Castles  of  Roscommon 
and  Clunibrun,  which  capitulated  after  he  had  cut  to 
ieces  350  of  their  horse.  But  if  the  confederates  were 
not  crowned  with  success  against  Coote  in  Counaught, 
and  Inchiquin  in  the  south,  they  had  reason  to  congra- 
tulate themselves  on  the  victory  which  was  won  by 
Owen  Roe  in  Ulster.  Brilliant  as  was  the  career  of  the 
grand  nephew  of  Hugh  O'Neill  on  the  continent,  he 
never  did  so  highly  distinguish  himself  as  in  that  pro- 
vince where  his  ancestors  ruled  as  kings.  Munroe  had 
been  supplied  with  monies  and  ammunition  by  the  par- 
liament commissioners,  and  calculated  on  beating  O'Neill's 
army  if  it  agam  appeared  in  the  field ,  but  dreadful  was 
the  retaliation  which  was  in  store  for  the  Covenanter. 

The  main  body  of  O'Neill's  army  had  already  assem- 
bled on  the  confines  of  Leinster,  and  having  heard  that 
Robert  Munroe  Avas  marching  into  Tyrone,  he  resolved 
to  go  in  quest  of  him.  Having  given  orders  that  each 
soldier  should  carry  with  him  provisions  for  sixteen  days, 
he  commenced  his  march,  and  advanced  sixty  mi'^les 
into  the  interior  of  Ulster.  On  the  2nd  of  June,  Munroe, 
informed  of  O'Neill's  onward  march,  called  a  council  of 
war  and  determined  "to  make  to  the  fields  with  a 
month's  provisions."  *'  This  movement,"  says  Munroe, 
"was  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  our  quarters."! 
The  Scotch  general  had  ten  regiments  of  infantry,  and 
fifteen  companies  of  foot,  followed  by  fifteen  hundred 
waggons  containing  ammunition,  and  baggage  with  six 
fielding-pieces.  Colonel  Munroe  was  ordered  to  join  the 
general  (Robert)  at  Glasslough  with  three  troops  of 
horse,  and  240  musquetiers,  whilst  Auchinbreck'6  troops 
were  to  follow  in  the  rear  of  his  columns.     The  English 

•  Cttie's  Orm.  iii.  463.  f  Munroe's  Deacatcli. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

commissioners  had  engaged  with  the  Scotch  general  to 
send  the  Laggan  forces  into  Connauglit  to  intercept  an/ 
supplies  which  might  be  sent  from  that  province  to  the 
aid  of  the  confederate  troops,  and  maintain  a  commu- 
nication with  the  Scots  in  Ulster.  Having  promised 
to  comply  witli  all  the  orders  of  the  parliamentary  com- 
missioners, Munroe  took  leave  of  them  on  the  ■second 
night  of  his  march  near  Dromore. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  June,  he  ordered  se^ 
venty-two  horsemen,  under  the  command  of  his  lieute- 
nant, Daniel,  to  cross  the  Blackwater  at  Beinburb  and 
scour  the  fields,  and  certify  Colonel  Munroe  that  he 
would  fix  his  head-quarters  -at  Glasslough.  On  the  5th 
of  June,  this  body  of  cavalry  fell  in  with  a  party  of 
O'Neill's  skirmishers,  and  took  a  prisoner  near  Armagh, 
from  whom  they  learned  that  the  confederate  general 
had  encamped  the  night  before  at  Glasslough,  and  was 
marching  in  full  force  with  an  army  of  5,000  foot  and 
twelve  troops  of  horse,  to  take  up  a  position  at  Bein- 
burb and  Charlemont.  Being  thus  informed,  Munroe 
broke  up  his  camp,  and  marched  six  miles  further,  to 
make  a  junction  with  Hamilton's  troops,  which  were 
encamped  four  miles  from  Armagh,  and  at  the  same 
time  ordered  messengers  to  recall  the  cavalry,  which  he 
had  sent  to  advertise  Colonel  Munroe  of  his  movements. 

Meanwhile  O'Neill  had  encamped  at  Beinburb,  be- 
tween two  small  hills.  The  rear  of  his  army  was  pro- 
tected by  a  wood,  and  the  right  by  the  river  Blackwater. 
He  had  also  possessed  himself  of  the  bridge,  and  con- 
cealed his  sharpshooters  in  the  "  scrogs  and  bushes."* 
Owen  Roe  was  well  informed  of  Munroe's  plans ;  and  in 
order  to  prevent  a  junction  of  George's  forces  with  those 
of  his  brother,  he  despatched  Colonels  Bernard  Mac  Ma- 
hon  and  Patrick  Mac  Neny,  with  their  respective  regi- 
ments, to  anticipate  their  design.  This  commission  they 
executed  to  the  satisfaction  of  their  commander.  But 
now,  when  everything  that  the  ablest  general  of  his  day 
could  devise  to  insure  a  glorious  result  had  been  carried 
into  effect,  there  was  a  scene  on  the  hill  of  Beinburb 
solemn  and  stern — "  The  whole  army,  after  having  con 
fessed,  and  the  general,  along  with  the  other  officers, 

•  Miinroe'a  Derpatch,  in  the  Thorpe  Parera,  R.D.S. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENKV.  >i^ 

Having  received  the  most  holy  communion,  tlie  cliap* 
Inin,  deputed  by  the  nuncio  to  the  spiritual  care  of  the 
army,  made  a  brief  exhortation,  gave  them  his  bless^ 
ing,  and,  \^'ith  loud  cheers,  they  prepared  for  action."* 

Munroe,  having  reconnoitred  O'Keill's  position,  and 
seeing  that  lie  could  not  force  the  bridge  or  ford,  con- 
vened his  officers,  to  consult  on  what  course  they  should 
adopt ;  -whereon  it  was  resolved  to  march  in  view  of 
the  confederate  troops,  and  pass  the  Blackwater  at  Kin- 
ard.  As  they  advanced  they  were  met  by  Colonel 
Eichard  O'Ferral,  who  occupied  a  narrow  defile  through 
which  it  was  necessary  for  the  Scotch  troops  to  pass  in 
order  to  face  the  Irish,  The  fire  of  Munroe's  gui*  com- 
pelled O'Neill's  ofiicer  to  retire.  And  now  the  two 
armies  stood  front  to  front ;  and  never  did  two  hostik 
hosts  meet  with  more  enthusiastic  rivalry  or  deadly  ha- 
tred. The  Scots,  impelled  by  gloomy  fanaticism,  beheld 
an  army  of  idolaters  before  them — the  Philistines,  whom 
the  power  of  Gideon  was  to  overthrow.  The  confede- 
rates,  animated  by  the  love  of  country  and  their  reli- 
gion, and  led  by  a  chieftain  whose  name  was  a  spell- 
word  in  their  ranks,  looked  on  the  present  as  the  mo- 
ment to  rescue  their  homes  and  altars  from  thraldom 
and  disgrace.  "All  our  army,  horse  and  foot,"  says 
the  Scotch  general,  "did  earnestly  covet  fighting,  which 
was  impossible  for  me  to  gainstand  without  reproach  of 
cowardice,  and  never  did  I  see  a  greater  confidence  than 
was  amongst  us." 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Cunningham  having  cleared  the 
pass  for  the  Scotch  horse,  who  were  commanded  by  the 
Lord  Viscount  of  Ardes,  in  the  absence  of  Colonel 
Munroe,  the  whole  army  advanced  to  dislodge  Owen 
Roe;  but  a  shower  of  bullets  from  the  "  scrogs  and 
bushes,"  which  coA'ered  O'Neill's  infantry,  checked  them; 
and  then  the  Scotch  cannon  opened  its  fire  with  little 
effect,  as  owing  to  the  admirable  position  of  the  Catholic 
troops  only  one  man  was  struck  by  the  shot.  In  vain 
did  Munroe's  cavalry  charge — with  the  river  on  their 
right  and  "  a  marish  bog"  on  the  left,  it  was  hopeless  to 
think  of  stirring  the  confederates.  For  fully  four  hours 
did  the  Fabius  of  his  country  amuse  the  enemy  with 

*  BinQccinL 


150  CONFKDER\TION    OF    KILKENNY. 

skirmishing.  During  all  that  time,  the  wind  rolling  the 
smoke  of  Munroe's  musketry  and  cannon  in  tlie  face  of 
the  Irish  ranks,  concealed  the  adverse  lines  from  their 
sight,  and  the  sun  had  shone  all  day  in  their  eyes,  blind- 
ing them  with  its  dazzling  glare ;  but  that  sun  was  now 
descending  and  producing  the  same  effect  on  the  Scotch, 
when  Munroe  perceived  the  entire  of  the  Irish  army 
making  ready  for  a  general  assault  with  horse  and  foot. 

It  was  the  decisive  moment.  The  Irish  general, 
throwing  himself  into  the  midst  of  his  men,  and  point- 
ing  out  to  them  that  retreat  must  be  fatal  to  the  enemy, 
ordered  them  to  pursue  vigorously,  assuring  them  of 
victory.  "I  myself,"  said  he,  "with  the  aid  of  hea- 
ven, will  lead  the  way  :  let  those  who  fail  to  follow  me 
remember  that  they  abandon  their  general."  This  ad- 
dress  was  received  with  one  unanimous  shout  by  the 
army.  The  colonels  threw  themselves  from  their 
horses,  to  cut  themselves  off  from  every  chance  of  re- 
treat, and  "charged  with  incredible  impetuosity."* 

Munroe  had  given  orders  to  a  squadron  of  his  horse  to 
break  through  the  columns  of  the  Irish  foot  as  they  ad- 
vanced ;  but  that  squadron  was  panic-stricken  by  the  ter- 
rible array  of  the  Irish  battalions,  and  retreated  disorderly 
through  their  own  foot,  pursued  by  O'Neill's  cavah-y. 
Nevertheless  Munroe's  infantry  stood  firm,  and  ''received 
the  Irish,  body  to  body,  with  push  of  pike,"  f  till  at 
last  their  cavalry  reserve,  being  routed  in  a  second 
charge,  fell,  pell  mell,  amongst  his  infantry,  which,  being 
now  broken  and  disordered,  had  no  way  to  retreat  but 
over  the  river  which  lay  in  their  front. 

Terrified  by  the  fate  of  their  fellows,  who  perished 
under  their  eyes  in  the  Blackwater,  the  surviving  Scots 
vainly  sought  to  conceal  themselves  in  the  thickets  that 
covered  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  the  battle-field ; 
nor  was  the  darkness  of  the  night  able  to  protect  them 
from  their  victorious  pursuers.  Pike  and  skein  did 
what  the  musket  had  left  unfinished,  till  they  were  cut 
to  pieces,  and  the  lowest  soldier  of  the  Irish  was  wearied 
with  carnage,  and  oppressed  with  plunder.  Three 
thousand  two  himdred  and  forty-three  bodies  were 
counted  on  the  field ;   the  infantry  was  completely  cut 

♦  Munroe's  Despatch.  *  Kinucciai. 


CONFEDERATION    OF  KILKENNF.  151 

off  by  the  straggling  parties  on  the  two  following  days  ; 
and  very  few  of  the  cavalry  escaped.  AH  the  giins 
Were  taken  by  the  Irish,  together  with  the  tents, 
colours,  baggage,  and  fifteen  hundred  draught  horses. 
Amongst  the  slain  was  found  the  body  of  Lord  Blauey. 
The  Lord  Viscount  Ardes  was  made  prisoner.  INIunroe 
fled  to  Lisnegarvy,  leaving  his  cloak  and  wig  on  the 
field,  and  twenty-one  officers  in  the  hands  of  O'Neill's 
army.  Of  the  Irish  troops  only  seventy  were  slain  in 
the  action,  and  one  hundred  wounded,  amongst  whom 
was  a  distinguished  gentleman  of  Ulster,  who  served  as 
a  volunteer.  The  victorious  army  proclaimed  that  their 
success  was  attributable  to  the  supplies  given  them  by 
the  Pope;  and  SirPhelim  O'Neill,  on  being  asked  for  the 
list  of  his  prisoners,  swore  that  he  had  not  even  one,  as 
he  had  given  orders  to  his  division  to  give  no  quarter 
to  the  Scotch. * 

The  news  of  Owen  Eoe's  victory  did  not  reach  Lime- 
rick till  the  13th  of  June.  Father  Hartegan,  one  of  the 
priests  deputed  to  the  spiritual  care  of  the  army,  was 
the  bearer  of  the  joyful  intelligence. 

On  the  following  day  (Sunday)  at  four  o'clock,  a.m. 
all  the  troops  in  garrison  at  Limerick  assembled  before 
the  church  of  St.  Francis,  where  the  nuncio  had 
deposited  thirty-two  standards  taken  by  the  Irish 
general  from  the  Scotch.  These  trophies  were  then 
borne  in  solemn  procession  by  the  chiefs  of  the  nobility, 
followed  by  the  nuncio,  the  Archbishop  of  Cashel,  and 
the  bishops  of  Limerick,  Clonfert,  and  Ardfert.  After 
these  came  the  supreme  council,  the  mayor,  and  the 
magistrates,  with  the  entire  population  of  the  city.  The 
procession  moved  on  till  it  reached  St.  Mary's  cathedral, 
where  the  Te  Deum  was  chanted,  and  on  the  next  day 
a  mass  of  thanksgiving  was  offered  to  the  Lord,  "  Who 
fought  among  the  valiant  ones,  and  overthrew  the 
nations  that  were  assembled  against  them,  to  destroy 
the  sanctuary. "f 

Thus,  while  the  Irish  attributed  the  winning  of  that 
day  to  the  interposition  of  heaven,  the  Scotch  general, 
writing  from  Carrickfergus,  on  the  11th  of  June,  to  the 
parliament  commissioners,   ascribed  his  defeat  to  the 

•  EinucciJjl.  138, 13S.  t  Fi-'e  Ep.  Inn.  P.  in  Bib.  Dom. 


152  CONFEDERATION   OF  KILKENNY, 

anger  of  "  the  Lord  of  hosts,  who  had  a  controversy  with 
them,  to  rub  shame  on  their  faces  till  once  they  should  be 
humbled  ;  for  it  behooved  them  to  taste  of  bitterness,  as 
well  as  others  of  both  nations."*  Yet,  it  does  not  appear 
that  O'Neill  made  that  use  of  his  victory  which  he  might 
had  he  commanded  an  army  as  disciplined  as  his  people 
were  brave.  Instead  of  pursuing  Munroe  he  allowed  him 
to  fortify  himself  in  Carrickfergus,  whence  he  wrote  to 
London  for  supplies,  *'  Now  that  they  were  humbled  be- 
fore  God,  and  increased  in  courage  and  resolution,  and  that 
the  enemy  had  not  prosecuted  their  victory  within  the 
Scotch  quarters,  being  more  inclined  to  spoil  than  pursue 
them."  His  appeal  was  soon  responded  to  by  the  parlia- 
ment, and  a  paper  was  printed,  and  posted  in  the  streets 
of  London,  giving  an  account  of  "  the  bloody  fight  at 
Blackwater,  on  the  5th  of  June,  by  the  Irish  rebels  against 
Major-General  MunrOe,  where  5,000  Protestants  were  put 
to  the  sword. "f  O'Neill's  army  now  increased  to  upwards 
of  10,000  men,  as  he  found  on  the  field,  arms  and  am- 
munion  sufficielit  to  equip  the  new  levies  that  flocked  to 
him  from  all  quarters.  Rinuccini  sent  to  congratulate 
him  on  his  victory,  and  transmitted  decorations  for  his 
officers,  and  surgeons  to  take  charge  of  the  wounded. 
On  the  return  of  his  messengers  he  was  somewhat  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  O'Neill  had  determined  to  call 
his  troops  the  "Catholic  Army,"  and  emblazon  the 
cross  and  keys  on  the  banners  of  the  red  hand."  It 
was  an  ill-timed  testimony  of  his  homage  to  the  church, 
for,  it  was  calculated  to  create  division  between  him- 
self and  Preston,  whenever  their  mutual  co-operation 
might  be  required.  But  the  phlegmatic  disposition  of  the 
Ulster  general  could  ill  brook  contradiction.  Yet,  if 
the  victory  at  Beinbui-b  had  not  all  the  fruits  which 
might  have  been  reaped  from  that  bloody  harvest,  it 
secured    the  existence  of   the  confederates.^      On    the 


*  Munroe's  Dispatch, 

t  This  document,  printed  by  Jane  Coe,  London,  June  isth,  gives 
the  following  list : — "  Taken,  seven  pieces  of  ordnance,  5,000  armes. 
4,000  foot,  and  upwards,  killed,  taken,  and  routed,  600  horse  routed. 
Lord  Blaney  taken,  and  dead ;  Lord  Montgomerj'  and  Lord  Ardes 
taken  and  dead,  and  almost  all  the  officers." 

t  Nunziatura  in  Irlanda,  p.  138. 


CONFEDERATION  OF   KILKENNY. 


153 


person  of  Lord  Montgomery  was  found  the  order  of 
inarch,  and  he  himself  declared  that  it  was  the  inten- 
tion of  Munroe  to  penetrate  to  Kilkenny  whilst  the 
confederates  were  en>ployed  elsewhere,  and  make  him- 
self master  of  that  city ;  nor  is  it  at  all  unlikely  that 
Ormond  was  privy  to  the  design. 

On  the  2nd  of  June,  whilst  the  nuncio  was  pressing 
the  siege  of  Bunratty,  Sir  George  Hamilton  and  Colonel 
Barry  were  sent  by  the  lord  lieutenant  to  Limerick,  to 
acquaint  the  confederate  council  that  he  was  well 
aware  of  the  necessity  of  a  union  against  the  common 
enemy,  but  that  he  could  not  join  with  any  party  not 
deriving  authority  from  his  majesty;  nor  could  any- 
thing further  be  done  towards  a  union  till  the  articles 
of  peace  were  published,  about  which  he  had  not,  as 
yet,  received  his  majesty's  pleasure.  With  regard  to 
Glamorgan's  articles,  he  could  not,  either  witli  safety 
to  his  conscience  or  honour,  admit  the  publishing  thereof, 
*'  his  majesty  having  already  publicly  disavowed  any 
power  given  by  him  to  warrant  them ;"  for  which 
reason  he  expected  from  them  a  declaration  of  their 
iftsolution  not  to  publish  them. 

It  was  now  obvious  that  Muskerry  and  his  party  were 
flxious  to  publish  the  political  articles  concluded  on  the 
SSth  March,  and,  if  possible,  to  publish  at  the  same  time 
the  articles  of  Glamorgan's  treaty ;  but,  when  Nicholas 
Plunket  and  Brown  presented  themselves  to  Rinuccini 
to  notify  him  of  their  intention  of  proceeding  to  Dublin 
for  that  purpose,  he  prodvijcd  the  protest  of  the  nine 
bishops  against  any  conclusion  with  Ormond  which 
did  not  stipulate  the  free  exercise  of  religion,  and  the 
retention  of  all  the  churches,  which,  up  to  the  present 
moment,  were  in  the  hands  of  the  confederates.  The 
production  of  this  protest,  as  it  was  signed  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  lay  members  of  the  assembly,  alarmed 
and  confounded  the  commissioners.  They  urged  that 
Glamorgan's  articles  were  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  clergy, 
and  that  they  would  insist  on  the  publication  of  them. 
Rinuccini  scouted  the  idea,  pointing  to  the  king's  dis- 
avowal of  the  Earl,  and  then  warmly  inveighed  against 
the  folly  of  committing  themselves,  soul  and  body,  to 
Ormond,  at  a  moment  when  they  stood  in  the  attitude 


?»{  CONFEDERATION   OF   KILKENNY. 

of  armed  men,  who  should  enforce  their  rights  instead 
of  craidng  favours. 

-  When  the  confederate  commissioners  received  this  an- 
swer, they  communicated  witli  the  council,  who  imme- 
diately sent  eight  of  their  body,  and  the  secretary,  Bel- 
ling, to  induce  the  nuncio  to  consent  to  the  publication 
of  the  political  treaty.  The  grand  argument  adduced 
for  the  purpose  was,  that  the  king,  as  he  was  now  in  the 
hands  of  the  Scotch,  would  be  induced  to  make  war  on 
Ireland,  than  which  nothing  was  more  desired  by  the 
parliament.  They  sought,  moreover,  to  convince  him 
that  the  publication  of  the  political  articles  should  be  re- 
garded as  a  means  to  an  end,  rather  than  a  definitive 
agreement  with  the  lord  lieutenant ;  and  that  they  them- 
selves would  be  ready  to  take  arms  agahist  Ormond,  if, 
in  progress  of  time,  he  did  not  cede  all  the  advantages 
which  they  contemplated  for  religion. 

But  these  arguments  were  unavailing.  The  nuncio 
was  unbending.  In  a  spirit  which  had  something  pro- 
phetic  in  it,  he  implored  them  not  to  rely  on  the  pro- 
mises of  Ormond  or  the  sovereign  of  England.  He  ap- 
pealed to  the  history  of  the  past,  and  dwelt  at  length  on 
the  tyranny  and  oppression  exercised  by  the  English  in 
Ireland,  and  chided  the  pusillanimity  of  the  men  who 
were  intent  on  signing  an  instrument  which  doomed  them 
to  dependence  on  the  pleasure  of  a  treacherous  and  faith- 
breaking  monarch.  Glamorgan  was  present  on  this  oc- 
casion, and  laboured  to  refute  a  singular  argument  ad- 
vanced  by  the  confederate  commissioners,  who  asserted 
that  tlie  laws  of  England  did  not  permit  the  monarch  to 
revoke  the  concessions  which  he  had  once  made  in  favor 
of  the  Catholics.* 

But  the  earl  put  an  end  to  the  discussion  by  declaring 
tliat  he  would  no  longer  insist  on  the  publication  of  his 
own  treaty,  until  he  had  received  further  powers  from 
tlie  king. 

Nevertheless,  the  supreme  council  determined  to  pub- 
lish tlie  articles  of  Ormond's  peace,  and,  to  gratify  the 
lord  lieutenant,  agreed  to  omit  all  mention  of  Glamor- 
gan's concessions.     These  instructions  were  signed  ''-:i 

»  RlnacclnJ,  142 


CONFEDEUATIOK    OF   KILKENNY.  155 

the  12th  of  June,  and  Sir  Nicholas  Plunket  and  Mr. 
Brown  were  deputed  to  proceed  forthwith  to  Dublin. 
Before  leaving  Limerick  they  waited  on  the  nuncio, 
who,  when  informed  of  their  intention,  received  them 
coldly,  and  inveighed  bitterly  against  a  proceeding  which 
Avas  meant  to  put  Ormond  in  possession  of  all  the  garri- 
sons and  strongholds  belonging  to  the  confederates,  and 
thus  compromise  their  own  existence.  His  words  had 
such  eflfect  on  Plunket  that  he  took  ill,  and  Brown  was 
obliged  to  go  without  him.  When  he  arrived  in  Dublin 
he  was  mortified  to  learn  from  Ormond  that,  by  a  letter 
from  Newcastle,  his  majesty  had  ordered  him  '♦  to  pro- 
ceed no  further  in  the  treaty  of  peace,  nor  to  engage  him 
ipon  conditions  with  the  Irish  after  sight  of  those  or- 
ders." This  letter  was  sent  through  the  English  com- 
mittee of  Ulster  to  Ormond,  on  the  26th  of  June,  and 
Brown  at  once  returned  to  Limerick  to  receive  further 
instructions.  Alas !  it  is  pitiful  to  reflect  on  the  tem- 
porising and  vacillating  conduct  of  the  Catholics  of  the 
Pale  at  this  moment.  With  three  armies  in  the  field, 
and  the  people  roused  to  enthusiasm,  snch  as  had  never 
been  witnessed,  they  wasted,  in  intrigue  and  diplomacy, 
more  time  than  was  sufficient  to  raise  themselves  to  a 
position  of  independence. 

Whilst  the  voUied  thunders  of  Beinburb  were  still 
pealing  in  their  ears,  they  were  clamorous  for  Ormond's 
hollow  peace.  Apprehensive  of  losing  the  church  pro- 
property,  of  which  many  of  them  were  proprietors, 
they  were  now  jealous  and  distrustful  of  the  clergy, 
although  the  nuncio  was  empowered  to  confirm  the 
transfers,  as  Cardinal  Pole  had  done  in  the  reign  of  Mary. 
O'Neill's  victory  served  to  embitter  their  inveterate  and 
deep-rooted  hatred  of  the  Ulster  Irish.  They  were 
well  aware  that  no  provision  had  been  made  for  ' '  the 
men  of  the  north,"  and  that  they  would  never  consent 
to  lay  down  their  arms  till  restored  to  their  plundered 
estates. 

These  considerations  determined  Muskerry  and 
Mountgarret  and  the  rest  to  place  all  their  hopes  in 
Ormond,  who  would  secure  them  in  the  possession  of 
their  estates,  and  connive  at  the  toleration  of  the  Ca- 
tholic religion.  They  were  satisfied  to  live  in  fetters, 
provided  they  were  not  butchered  by  legal  enactment! 


156'  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

against  their  persons  and  creed.  Alas!  how  sadly  did 
they  contrast  with  the  "old  Irish,"  who,  scorning  to 
live  as  aliens  in  their  native  land,  had  determined  to 
perish  in  the  assertion  of  their  just  rights. 

Tired  of  delay,  the  nuncio  wrote  to  Rome  in  the 
middle  of  June,  declaring  that,  as  Sir  Kenelm  Digby 
had  not  come  with  the  articles  of  the  pontifical  treaty,* 
his  means  of  preventing  the  publication  of  the  peace 
with  Ormond  were  utterly  exhausted.  He  clearly 
told  the  cardinal  secretary  of  state  that  a  foreign 
protectorate  Avas  desired  by  many  amongst  the  Irish, 
and  that  O'Neill  and  Preston  had  offered  to  march  on 
Dublin,  and  take  possession  of  the  city,  as  it  was  easy 
to  foresee  that,  in  case  of  pressure  from  without,  Or- 
mond would  surrender  it  to  the  parliament.  He,  at  the 
saine  time,  wrote  to  Henrietta  Maria  and  Cardinal 
Mazarin,  imploring  them  to  expedite  the  treaty,  and 
thus  prevent  the  disruption  of  parties  and  the  total  loss 
of  the  country. 

But  Sir  Kenelm  never  came.  Some  imprudent  ex- 
pressions in  Rinuccini's  letters,  betrayed  by  the  nuncio 
at  the  French  court  to  the  English  queen,  awakened 
her  suspicion  ;  and  it  would  appear  that  she  had  deter- 
mined to  abandon  any  further  negotfation  with  Sir 
Kenelm  Digby  and  the  court  of  Rome. 

Yet,  strange  to  say,  even  in  his  captivity  the  unfor- 
tunate Charles  did  not  abandon  hope  of  succour  fron: 
Ireland.  With  that  systematic  duplicity  which  charac 
terized  his  actions,  he  wrote  to  Glamorgan,  telling  hia 
to  raise  money  by  pawning  his  kingdoms,  which  h( 
would  repay  if  ever  be  won  them  back.  "  And  tell  thf 
nuncio,"  said  he,  "  that  if  I  once  come  into  his  and  your 
hands,  which  ought  to  be  wished  for  by  you,  both  foj 
the  sake  of  England  as  Ireland,  since  all  the  rest  despise 
me,  I  will  do  it ;  and  if  I  do  not  say  this  from  my  heart, 
may  God  never  restore  me  to  my  kingdoms  in  this 
world,  nor  give  me  eternal  happiness  in  the  next."  This 
letter  he  sent  to  Glamorgan.  At  the  same  moment  h$ 
wrote  to  Ormond,  through  Lord  Digby,  that  "he  should 

•  It  is  now  notorious  that  the  heads  of  this  treaty  were  already 
drawn  up.  Those  who  assert  that  there  was  no  such  treaty  mat 
find  it  either  in  Kinuccinia  Nuiiziatura  or  in  the  TraQsactiOOa  * 
Qlamorgan. 


rOHFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  IS? 

not  proceed  any  further  in  the  treaty  of  peace  with  the 
Irish." 

Ormond  was  fully  satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that  the 
king  was  desirous  of  peace  on  any  terms  ;  but-  well 
knowing  that  the  council  in  Dublin  was  averse  to  any 
overture  which  might  assist  the  monarch,  he  catered  to 
their  feelings,  and  contented  himself  v'7th  saying,  that 
he  would  carry  out  to  the  very  letter  ihe  instructions 
he  had  received  from  the  king  at  Newcastle. 

Mr.  Brown  had  not  reached  Limerick  when  George, 
Lord  Digby,  arrived  in  Dublin  on  the  4tM  of  July.  He 
affected  "surprise  on  learning  that  the  articles  of  peace 
had  not  been  perfected,  as  his  majesty,  "  cince  his  being 
at  Newcastle,  had  redoubled  his  positive  orders  to  the 
lord  lieutenant  for  the  speedy  conclusion  of  the  peace, 
upon  dispensation  with  the  condition  of  the  confederate 
Catholics  of  Ireland  sending  the  men  undertaken  for 
them." 

Digby  immediately  wrote  to  Ormond  that  the  Scots 
had  violated  all  their  promises  to  the  king-,  depriving 
him  of  liberty,  and  banishing  from  him  all  who  were  in 
his  confidence.  He  then  proceeded  to  show  that  the  let- 
ter dated  Newcastle  was  either  surreptitiously  obtained 
or  a  manifest  forgery,  but  in  every  respect  most  con- 
trary to  what  he  knew  to  be  his  majesty's  fre«  resolu- 
tion and  uncontrolled  will."  He  concluded  by  declaring 
that,  if  the  peace  were  any  longer  interrupted,  "  the 
hinderers  of  it  would  be  the  occasion  of  subverting  the 
main  foundation  resolved  and  laid  by  his  majesty  for 
the  recovery  of  his  crown  and  posterity's  rights,  whe- 
ther by  way  of  accommodation  or  war." 

On  'the  '28th  of  the  same  month,  Digby  drew  up  and 
signed  a  declaration,  wherein  he  offered  himself  to  be 
detained  a  prisoner  until  such  time  as  his  majesty  shouli. 
be  at  liberty  to  express  freely  his  unconstrained  will ;  ani 
then,  says  the  declaration,  "  if  his  majesty  shall  not  jus- 
tify  me  to  have  declared  it  faithfully,  I  submit  myself  to 
Buffer  death;  and  I  desire  that  this  declaration  be  en- 
tered in  the  council-book,  that  I  have  discharged  my 
duty,  in  case  the  mischiefs  herfe  set  down  shall  be  occ?^ 
sioned  by  deferiing  the  peace  of  this  kingdom  upon  the 
aforesaid  letter  of  the  11th  of  June."  The  council  at 
Dublin  seemed  to  attach  little  importance  to  Digby 


CONFEDERATION   OF    RrLKENNT. 

nor  were  their  objections  removed,  till  Ormond  entered 
another  declfiration  on  the  council-bbok,  stating  "that 
he  was  satisfied  that  he  had  full  authority  to  coiiclude 
the  peace  upon  the  articles  deposited  with  the  Marquess 
of  Clanricarde,"  and  took  upon  himself  to  be  sole  judge 
thereof,  expecting  only  their  assistance  for  causing  it  to 
be  duly  observed. 

The  articles  were  finally  delivered  by  both  par- 
ties on  the  29th  of  July :  those  of  the  confederates  by 
Lord  Muskerry,  Sir  Kobert  Talbot,  John  Dillon,  Patrick 
B'Arcy,  and  Geoffry  Brown,  in  the  presence  of  Lords 
Clanricarde,  Digby  and  Taafie,  Daniel  O'Neill,  and  De 
Moulin,  the  French  envoy.  The  council,  on  the  same 
day,  ordered  a  proclamation  to  be  issued  ratifying  the 
articles  of  peace,  and  enjoining  all  persons  to  pay  due 
obedience  to  the  same. 

Thus  did  Ormond  triumph.  The  confederation  was 
virtually  dissolved.  The  grand  object  for  which  the  Ca- 
tholics had  taken  up  arms  was  referred  to  the  ulterior 
decision  of  the  king.  The  only  concession  in  the  treaty 
touching  the  vital  question  of  religion  released  the  Irish 
Catholics  from  taking  the  oath  of  supremacy.  No  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  plundered  inhabitants  of  the 
north,  who  had  been  ruined  by  the  Scotch  and  English 
undertakers ;  and  as  if  to  cap  the  climax  of  their  folly, 
it  was  agreed  by  the  Lords  Mountgarret  and  Muskerry, 
that  the  "confederate  Catholics  should  be  commanded 
by  his  majestj'^'s  chief  governor  until  settlement  by  act 
of  parliament."  It  was  a  base  desertion  of  principle, 
this  surrender  of  their  rights ;  but,  in  this  betrayal  of 
trust,  do  we  not  see  something  typical  of  that  parricida* 
act  by  which,  in  after  times,  a  corrupt  and  venal  senate 
sacrificed  the  country  to  the  imperialism  of  England  ? 

On  the  1st  of  August  the  peace  was  solemnly  pro- 
claimed in  Dublin,  although  the  Protestants  showed  the 
greatest  aversion  to  it.*  On  the  6th  the  Marquess  of 
Ormond  sent  Dr.  Roberts,  Ulster-king-at-arms,  to  pro- 
claim it  at  Waterford  and  Kilkenny.  He  executed  his 
office  at  Kilkenny,  Fethard,  Callan,  and  Cashel ;  but 
was  absolutely  hunted  from  the  towns  of  Waterford  and 
Clonmel. 

•OniLTol.  tl.p.  10. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


159 


On  the  20th  the  Ulster-king-at-arms  amved  in  Lime- 
rick, and,  attended  by  the  mayor  in  his  regalia,  pro- 
ceeded to  publish  the  peace.  But  so  indignant  Avere  the 
people  that  they  assembled  at  the  market-cross,  headed 
by  Alderman  Fanning,  and  Lynch  the  warden  of  Gal- 
way,  and  prevented  the  proclamation.  Such  was  tlie 
popular  feeling  that  they  removed  the  mayor  from  office 
and  elected  Fanning  in  his  stead.* 

It  would  be  idle  to  imagine  that  this  peace  gave  satis- 
faction to  tlie  people  of  Ireland.  On  the  contrary,  it 
was  soon  ascertained  that  it  gave  them  no  guarantee 
for  these  rights  which  aroused  them  to  take  up  arms 
and  maintain  a  war  of  five  years*  duration.  It  was 
indignantly  rejected  by  the  whole  province  of  Ulster,  the 
cities  of  Waterford,  Limerick,  Clonmel,  and  Dungarvan. 
Twenty  of  the  great  Irish  families  in  the  province  of 
Munster,  signed  a  protest  against  it.  Galway,  with 
twelve  noblemen  and  gentlemen,  refused  to  receive  it 
and  in  the  province  of  Leinster  it  was  treated  with  con- 
tempt by  all  the  heads  of  the  "  old  Irish,  "f  It  was  a 
fearful  moment  for  Ireland.  The  wily  policy  of  Oranond 
lud  accomplished  his  designs.  Divisons  reigned  in  the 
council  of  the  confederates ;  and  the  bishops  and 
clergy,  headed  by  the  nuncio,  determined  to  convoke  a 
By  nod  at  Waterford,  to  submit  the  treaty,  clause  by 
clause,  to  their  consideration.  O'Neill,  at  the  head  of 
his  victorious  army,  was  pursuing  the  Scots  when  the 
intelligence  of  the  peace  reached  him  at  Tanderagee. 
Preston  was  at  Birr;  and,  concluding  that  the  treaty 
had  the  approbation  of  all  parties,  caused  rejoicings  to 
be  made  in  his  camp. 

But  he  soon  found  his  mistake,  Avhen  he  learned  that 
O'Neill's  troops  were  marching  in  haste  to  the  borders 
of  Leinster,  and  thereon  sent  to  express  his  regrets  for 
the  misunderstanding. 

It  has  been  constantly  argued  that  Owen  Roe  was 
lolicited  by  the  nuncio  to  relinquish  the  prosecution  of 
his  victory  after  the  battle  of  Beinburb,  and  move  his 
army  to  protect  the  assembly  at  Waterford,  and  silence 


*  Fanning  perished  heroically,  being  taken  by  Ireton  after  the  alege 
of  Limerick,  and  hung  for  his  intrepidity  against  the  CromweUimis. 
t  VideEib.  Dom.  ad  Sapp.  1.  S7S. 


100         CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENWr. 

all  opposition  to  their  resolutions.  This,  howerer,  in 
not  substantially  true,  for  O'Neill,  without  the  order  of 
the  confederate  council,  had  increased  his  forces  to 
10,000  men,  with  more  than  1000  horse,  and  desired 
nothing  so  much  as  an  opportunity  of  taking  signal 
vengeance  on  the  adherents  of  Ormond,  by  Avhom  he 
supposed  he  had  been  excluded  from  the  possession  of 
his  estates  in  Ulster.  Actuated  by  such  feelings,  })e 
did  not  await  any  summons  from  the  nuncio,  but 
marched  at  the  moment  when  he  heard  of  the  peace, 
well  knowing  that  the  bishops  and  clergy  would  not 
respect  it.  His  intention  was  to  sack  Kilkenny,  and  he 
would,  doubtless,  have  carried  his  design  into  effect, 
had  he  not  been  dissuaded  by  Rinuccini  from  shedding 
innocent  blood.*  His  troops,  however,  were  now  self- 
styled  "  The  Catholic  Army,"  and  Owen  Roe  proclaimed 
himself  the  right  arm  of  the  clergy. 

The  synod  of  the  bishops  and  clergy  met  at  Water- 
ford,  on  the  6th  of  August.  It  was  composed  of  three 
archbishops,  ten  bishops,  five  abbots,  two  vicars 
apostolic,  fourteen  representatives  of  the  religious 
orders,  and  the  provincial  of  the  Jesuits. f  They  were 
all  unanimous  in  their  abhorrence  of  the  peace,  and  on 
the  12th  of  the  same  month,  ihey  issued  the  following 
decree  "  from  the  congregation  of  the  secular  and  regular 
clergy  convened  at  Waterford  on  the  6th  of  August :" 

"As  to  the  question  between  us  moved,  and  for  many 
days  discussed,  whether  such  as  would  accept  of  that 
peace  contained  in  the  tliirty  articles  remitted  unto  us 
from  the  supreme  council,  are  to  be  declared  perjurious, 
and  consequently,  whether  as  perjurious,  they  are  to  be 
excommunicated  ;  we  having  given  ear  to  each  one's 
opinion  and  sentiment  on  this  matter,  as  also  having 
read  the  writings  of  some  doctors  of  divinity,  it  is 
decreed,  and  by  each  one's  vote  in  particular,  (none 
contradicting),  that  all  and  every  one  of  the  confederate 
Catholics  that  will  adhere  to  such  a  peace,  and  consent 
to  the  furtherers  thereof,  or  in  any  other  manner  or 
way  will  embrace  the  same,  shall  be  absolutely  as  per- 

•Rionccni,  p.  224. 

f  Tbo  Archbishop  of  Cashel  seems  to  >'ave  doubted  the  expwliejiej 
of  htnuccini's  measures,  but  finally  acqtuesced,  saying, — "lnverb« 
too  lazabo  rete." 


CONFEDERATIOK    OF    KILKKKNT.  lUl 

jurious  esteemed,  chiefly  inasmuch  a?  there  is  no  rEl.i^ 
tiou  made  in  the  thirty  articles,  nor  promise  for  the 
Catholic  religion  or  safety  thereof,  nor  any  resi)ect  had 
for  the  preservation  of  the  kingdoms  privileges  as  were 
promised  in  the  oath  of  association,  but  on  the  con- 
trary, all  remitted  to  the  king's  will  and  pleasure, 
(from  whom  as  the  case  stands  at  present  with  his 
majesty)  no  certainty  of  benefits  can  be  had  or  expected  ; 
yet,  in  the  mean  time,  all  the  arms,  armies,  fortifica- 
tions, even  the  very  supreme  council  of  the  Catholic 
confederates  are  to  be  subjected  to  the  authority  and 
rule  of  his  majesty's  council  of  state,  from  whom  that 
we  might  be  secure  we  have  taken  that  oath. 

**  Out  of  which,  and  several  other  reasons,  we  (moved 
thereunto  by  conscience)  would  have  it  known,  to  all 
and  each  person,  as  well  the  Irish  natives  as  the  foreign 
nations,  that  we  gave  no  consent,  nor  never  will,  to  any 
such  peace,  if  they  will  not  grant  us  further,  surer,  and 
safer  conditions  for  our  religion,  our  king,  and  country, 
according  to  our  oath  of  association. 

"  And  to  the  end,  our  flocks  and  lAl  the  confederate 
Catholics,  who  in  their  general  assemblies  required  our 
sentence  in  this  spiritual  matter  appertaining  to  our- 
selves as  ecclesiastical  judges,  may  know  for  certain 
what  is  by  us  determined  herein,  and  as  godly  and 
faithful  Catholics,  obeying  their  pastors,  may  concur 
with  us,  we  have  ordered  this  decree  to  be  written,  and 
published  everywhere  in  the  English  and  Irish  tongue. 
Given  under  our  hand  and  seal,Waterford,  this  12th  day 
of  August,  1646, Nicholas  J'rench,   Chancellor."* 

The  result  of  this  decree  may  readily  be  imagined ; 
never  was  there  a  more  decided  reaction.  The  people 
unanimously  rejected  the  peace  ;  nothing  could  have 
given  more  pleasure  to  the  general  of  the  Ulster  forces 
than  this  declaration  of  the  bishops ;  and  Preston,  who 
had  been  vacillating  hitherto,  fearing  the  censures  and 
hating  the  secretary,  Belling,  at  once  declared  for  tho 
nuncio  and  the  clergy. 

Shut  up  in  Kilkenny,  whither  they  had  gone  after 
the  publication,  Muskerry  and  Mountgarret,  with  the 

•  I  have  given  this  ft-om  the  "  Unkind  Deserter,"  as  it  i>  probably  tho 
tranacript  of  the  onginaj.  j 


ir2 


CONySDERATION   OF    KILKENNY 


other  councillors,  prepared  an  appeal  from  the  censures, 
and  sent  to  Waterford  to  persuade  the  clergy  to  adopt 
some  other  course  less  objectionable  to  their  patron 
Ormond.  But,  in  this  instance,  they  discovered  their 
own  weakness,  and  found  out,  when  too  late,  that  the 
power  which  tliey  possessed  when  leagued  with  the 
hierarchy,  had  forsaken  them.  The  contederate  soldiers 
positively  refused  to  obey  them  ;  and  when  the  deputies 
returned  from  Waterford  with  word  that  Rinuccini  and 
the  bishops  insisted  on  the  appointment  of  Preston  as 
general  of  the  horse,  and  O'Neill  as  major- general  of 
the  army,  they  sent  for  Ormond  to  come  to  Kilkenny,  in 
the  hope  that  his  presence  might  create  a  diversion  ia 
their  favour.* 

Ormond  eagerly  embraced  the  proposal,  and  sent 
some  persons  to  treat  with  O'Neill,  and,  if  possible, 
gain  him  over  to  the  peace.  But  the  Ulster  general 
spurned  the  overtures  of  the  lord  lieutenant,  and  sent 
him  back  an  indignant  refusal.  The  nuncio  had  for- 
warded him  at  this  time  a  sum  of  about  £9,000  which 
nad  been  borrowed  from  Diego  della  Torre,  the  Spanish 
envoy. 

Ormond,  however,  set  out  from  Dublin  on  the  28th  of 
August,  with  1,500  foot  and  500  horse.  He  arrived 
at  Kilkenny  on  the  31st  of  the  same  month,  and  was 
joyfully  received  by  his  adherents ;  but  great  was  his 
mortification  on  learning  that  the  troops  which  were 
drawn  into  the  city  after  the  siege  of  Bunratty,  had  gone 
over  to  the  party  of  the  nuncio  and  clergy  at  Waterford. 
From  Kilkenny  the  lord  lieutenant,  accompanied  by 
Clanricarde  and  Lord  Digby,  proceeded  into  Munster, 
foolishly  thinking  that  he  might  conciliate  Inchiquin, 
and  prevail  on  him  to  join  his  forces  with  those  of  his 
own  party  against  the  troops  of  O'Neill;  but  in  his 
progress  through  the  country  Ormond  had  ample  evi- 
dence of  the  popular  disinclination  to  submit  to  him 
on  the  terms  of  the  Dublin  treaty.  Many  of  the  towns 
shut  their  gates  at  his  approach,  and  the  mayor  of 
Casliel  sent  to  implore  that  he  would  not  enter  that  city, 
18  Owen  O'Neill,  who  had  encamped  on  the  9th  of 
September  at  lioscrea,  had  sent  to  inform  the  magis* 

•  Carte.  1.  679 


CONFEDIiRATION    Ol''    KILKKNNV. 


1G3 


trates,  that  if  they  received  the  lord  lieutenant  lie  would 
storm  the  place.  Digby's  overtures  were  rejected  by 
Inchiquin,  who,  in  answer  to  a  letter  forwarded  to  him, 
replied,  "that  the  peace  now  concluded  by  his  majesty's 
authv/rity,  to  the  utter  ruin  of  all  that  profess  the 
Protestant  religion,  or  submitted  thereto,  had  to  all  the 
world  evidenced  the  just  grounds  of  his  separation  from 
what  he  (Digby)  was  pleased  to  call  his  duty."* 

To  add  to  Ormond's  disappointment  he  had  now 
learned  that  Piers  Fitzgerald,  alias  Mac  Thomas,  Avho 
formerly  served  under  Castleliaven,  had  collected  a 
strong  body  of  cavalry  and  declared  for  the  Waterford 
resolutions.  Indeed,  the  Marquess's  expedition  into 
Munster  was  far  from  successful,  and  on  the  11th  of 
September  he  was  informed  by  Sir  Richard  Talbot,  that 
he  sliould  take  precautions  to  secure  the  ford  of  Moygany, 
the  only  place  Avhere  he  could  cross  the  Barrow  without 
marching  through  the  counties  of  Carlow  and  Kildare 
to  Munstereven.  O'Neill's  emissaries  were  already  in 
the  county  of  Wicklow  raising  the  O'Byrnes  and 
O'Tooles,  and  it  was  likely  that  they  had  been  in- 
structed to  intercept  him  if  he  returned  by  their  country 
to  Dublin. 

Ormond  was  now  apprehensive  that  O'Neill  meditated 
some  design  against  his  person,  and  determined  to 
return  to  the  metropolis.  He,  therefore,  sent  Sir  Luke 
Dillon  and  Dr.  Fennell  to  the  prelates  at  Waterford, 
to  state  "that  he  considered  his  commission  for  con- 
cluding a  peace  was  determined  by  that  which  he  had 
already  made,  and  that  if  it  did  not  take  place,  there 
was  no  possibility  of  renewing  a  treaty  for  another, 
and  was  apprehensive  that  his  return  to  Dublin  should 
put  a  stop  to  all  further  negotiations." 

Having  sent  this  message  to  Waterford,  Castlehaven 
came  to  inform  him  that  he  had  not  a  moment  to  lose, 
as  Preston  and  O'Neill  were  rapidly  advancing  to  cut 
him  off.  Ormond  fled  to  his  troops,  stationed  at  Callan. 
where  they  were  faced  by  400  horse  under  Mac  Thomas. 
Thence  he  dispatched  orders  to  Sir  Francis  Willoughby, 
who  was  at  Gowran,  to  march  with  all  possible  speed 
ftad  secure  Leighlin  Bridge.     When  the  major-general 


•  Irish  Tracts.  R.D.S.    Thorpe  Pajjers. 


'64  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

jame  within  tliree  miles  of  the  place  he  was  tohl  thai 
Sir  Walter  Bagnall,  with  a  l)undred  men,  held  the  fort 
•'  at  the  bridge  ej-.d,"  and  he  thereon  sent  to  know  if  he 
might  find  that  officer  a  friend  or  enemy,  and  received 
an  answer,  that  the  pass  lay  open  to  him.  He  crossed 
the  bridge  and  left  a  detachment  of  las  men  to  await 
Ormond  on  the  Carlow  side.  Two  hours  before  day  the 
marquess,  having  joined  these  troops,  fled  to  Kilcullen. 
thence  to  Ballymore-Eustace,  and  on  the  13th  entered 
Dublin,  to  the  surprise  of  the  citizens,  who  verily 
believed  that  he  had  been  made  prisoner  by  O'Neill  and 
Preston.  He  had  reason  to  be  grateful  to  Bagnall,  for 
if  he  held  the  bridge  against  him  for  half-an-hour  longer 
he  must  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Owen  Roe. 

When  Ormond  was  about  to  return  to  Dublin,  he  left 
Digby  at  Kilkenny,  to  learn  the  result  of  his  negotia- 
tion with  the  bishops  at  Waterford  ;  and,  presuming  on 
his  powers,  the  latter  made  a  proposition  that,  if  the 
nuncio  and  three  or  four  of  the  bishops  would  consent  to 
the  peace,  and  cause  it  to  be  observed  by  all  over  whom 
they  had  power,  and  join,  under  the  lord  lieutenant, 
against  the  common  enemy,  if  they  might  privately  receive 
a  firm  assurance  of  the  repeal  of  the  penal  laws,  and  that 
the  Catholic  clergy  should  not  be  put  out  and  molested 
in  their  ecclesiastical  possessions  before  a  new  parliament 
was  called,  the  said  assurance  should  be  procured  them 
collaterally,  severed  from  the  articles  of  the  peace,  to 
which  the  lord  lieutenant  had  no  power  to  add.  But  this 
proposition  was  rejected,  and  expediency  abandoned. 
The  bishops  had  no  guarantee  for  the  fulfilment  of  the 
conditions  offered,  even  were  they  inclined  to  receive 
them ;  and  they  feared  that  in  the  present,  as  well  as  in 
a  former  instance,  Digby  and  Ormond  could  find  a 
"  starting  hole"  whereby  the  king  might  escape  any  ob- 
ligation, as  in  the  treaty  with  Glamorgan.  When  Digby 
received  the  refusal,  he  did  not  think  it  safe  to  remain 
any  longer,  and  set  out  for  France  to  solicit  arms  and 
monies  to  crush  the  men  who  were  now  bent  on  main- 
taining the  independence  of  Ireland. 

The  destinies  of  the  country  were  at  this  moment  in 
the  liands  of  the  clergy  and  Owen  O'Neill.  The  nuncio, 
elated  with  his  temporary  triumph,  sent  his  dean  to 
Home,  to  convey  to  Poise  Innocent  the  re.iutionof  aiFaira 


CONFEDEUATION    OF    KLLKENNY. 


lai 


and  procure  aids  for  the  prosecution  of  what  he  regarded 
a  glorious  crusade  against  the  Puritans.  To  give  greater 
stability  to  the  new  confederation,  he  determined  to  pro- 
ceed to  Kilkenny,  and  establish  his  head-quarters  there. 
The  way  was  open  for  him.  Owen  Roe  lay  encamped 
within  three  miles  of  the  city ;  his  army  consisted  of 
12,(XK)  foot,  and  1,500  horse  ;  his  troops  were  refreshing 
themselves,  after  storming  Koscrea  Castle,  oa  the  17th 
of  September. 

On  his  approach  to  the  city  Rinuccini  was  joinod  by 
Preston  and  Diego  della  Torre,  at  the  head  of  tlie  gentry. 
He  did  not  now  enter  as  a  messenger  of  peace  ;  on  this 
occasion  he  appeared  as  a  triumphant  general,  surrounded 
by  the  military,  and  hailed  by  the  acclamations  of  the 
soldiers.  "  The  victor  of  Beinburb"  on  one  side  and 
Preston  on  the  other,  he  had  reason  to  feel  proud  of  his 
escort.  But  his  first  act  was  one  of  harshness  and  im- 
prudence. He  no  longer  tliought  of  conciliation  ;  and 
yielding  to  the  suggestions  of  Preston,  who  had  a  per- 
sonal dislike  to  many  of  the  old  council,  he  caused  them 
to  be  committed  to  tne  castle  of  Kilkenny,  on  the  18th, 
the  day  cf  his  entry. 

Colonel  Bagnal,  who  had  connived  at  the  escape  of 
Ormond,  and  Sir  Robert  Talbot,  were  likewise  impri- 
soned ;  and  of  the  old  council,  D'Arcy  and  Plunket  were 
the  only  exceptions  to  this  impolitic  proceeding. 

The  nuncio  and  clergy  now  assumed  the  government 
to  themselves,  and  on  the  26th,  by  a  solemn  decree,  ap- 
pointed a  new  council,  consisting  of  four  bishops  and 
eight  laymen,  ordering  all  the  generals  to  be  subject  to 
their  orders,  and  investing  them  with  the  same  powers 
as  the  former  council.  The  unanimous  voices  of  those 
who  signed  the  decree  at  Waterford  appointed  Rinuccini 
to  the  presidency,  intending  thus  to  do  greater  honor  to 
the  court  of  Rome,  on  whose  sympathies  they  were  now 
to  place  all  reliance.  Never  did  any  event  give  greater 
cause  for  joy  to  the  chieftains  and  people  of  the  "old 
jrish"  than  this  change  of  the  confederate  government. 
The  grand  object  which  engrossed  their  cares  for  so  many 
years,  they  fancied  was  now  achieved.  He  who  was  now 
the  head  of  the  government  could  not  feel  less  interest 
for  the  cause  of  religious  independence  than  themselves. 
Unbending  and  uncompromising  as  they  knew  the  nuncio 


1G6  CONFKDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

to  be,  they  no  longer  feared  the  craft  and  fatal  influence 
of  Ormond.  Religious  as  the  character  of  the  war  had 
been,  it  was  now  to  be  doubly  more  so ; — the  moderator 
of  the  council  was  a  minister  of  the  Vatican,  and  the  ge- 
neral of  the  army  was  the  champion  of  the  church. 

The  enthusiastic  devotion  Avith  which  the  Jews  honored 
Iheir  leader,  Maccabeus,  was  not  more  intense  than  that 
with  which  the  '*  old  Irish"  now  regarded  "  Owen  Roe." 
He  it  was  whose  right  hand  was  to  restore  the  temple, 
and  avert  the  captivity  of  the  people  who  had  been  dis- 
persed. Heaven,  they  believed,  had  nerved  the  arms  of 
his  soldiers  on  the  day  of  Beinburb ;  but  now,  when  they 
paw  the  cross  and  the  keys  interwoven  on  the  banners  of 
the  red-hand,  they  looked  on  him  with  a  feeling  of  vene- 
ration. 

'•  This  age,"  wrote  the  nuncio  to  Pope  Innocent  X., 
**  has  never  seen  so  unexpected  a  change.  I  should  com- 
pare it  to  the  most  famous  successes  in  Europe.  The 
clergy  of  Ireland,  so  much  despised  by  the  Ormondists, 
were,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  masters  of  the  king- 
dom. Generals,  officers,  and  soldiers,  strove  who  should 
fight  for  them ;  and,  at  last,  the  supreme  council,  de- 
prived of  all  power,  was  confounded  with  amazement  to 
«ee  all  authority  devolve  on  the  clergy/'  * 

Muskerry  being  now  removed  from  the  command  of 
the  confederate  troops  in  Munster,  Glamorgan  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  stead,  and  the  nuncio  wrote  to  Rome  in- 
timating that  as  soon  as  Ormond  was  driven  out  of 
Dublin  it  was  the  intention  of  the  new  council  to  create 
the  former  lord  lieutenant.  The  reasons  assigned  for  the 
appointment  of  Glamorgan  were  the  high  consideration 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  Catholics,  and  his  unflinch- 
ing fidelity  to  Rinuccini's  views ;  moreover,  the  nuncio 
never  relinquished  his  design  of  sending  troops  to  Eng- 
land, and  he  thought  that  he  could  not  commit  the 
leadership  in  this  affair  to  any  one  more  seriously  con- 
cerned for  the  interests  of  tiie  king.  The  idea  of  ap- 
pointing an  Irishman  to  that  high  post  was  fraught  with 
danger,  inasmuch  as  it  would  have  created  jealousies 
and  rivalry,  which  it  was  the  object  of  all  to  avoid,  that 
the  great  cause  might  not  sustain  any  injury  from  the 

•  Nunziatura  in  Irlanda. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KXLILENIiY. 


167 


-inflict  of  parties.  But  a  stronger  reason  was  founded 
;^  the  king's  letter  from  Newcastle,  in  which  he  insi- 
nuated  that  he  contemplated  coming  to  Ireland  and 
^ladng  himself  in  the   hands  of  Glamorgan  and  the 

''"Th^new  council  was  to  continue  in  existence  till  the 
next  general  assembly,  and  orders  ^^re  immediately  is- 
Bued  for  levying  troops  and  raising  monies  for  the  main- 
?enance  of  three  armies.    For  these  purposes  there  was  no 
ack  of  compulsory  enactments;  where  the  arm  of  the 
flesh    fa'leT the     spiritual  weapon    was  m    readiness; 
but  neither  was  required  to  awaken  the  energies  and 
hatred  of    the   Catholic    population    against   Ormond 
The    grand   object  was  to    seize  Dublin,   and  secure 
it  LafnJt    the  parliament.    It   was   well    known  that 
Ormond  was  in  concert  with  them,  and  anxious  to  su^, 
render  the  government  to  any  but  the  confederates^-. 
A^d  so  desirous  was  he  to  secure  the  city  against  0  Neill 
and  Preston    that,  on  his  return  from  Ki  kenny,  he  set 
:S^ut  repairing  the  fortifications  "/rom  the  CoUeg^  to 
St   "R-pven's    and  so  to  St.  James's  Gate.  n\e  mar- 

chioness  of   Srmond.  with   several  ladies   of    quality 
St  be  seen  carrying  baskets  of  earth  to  the  workmen 

'"A\TtCre'Lld  not  have  been  any  doubt  of  Or- 

-  was  incensed  against  the  Irish  rebels  and  that  he 
had  offered  to  capitulate  with  the  kings  enemies,  bo 
Lnsible  was  he  of  the  necessity  of  giving  D^blm  to 
them  and  of  prosecuting  the  war  in  connexion  with  the 
mrUament,  against  the  Irish,  that  Captain  \V  lUoughby 
Snd  r^n?a  n  Wood,  two  sea  captains  with  whom  he 
had  son?e  overtures,'  had  very  good  reason  to  believe  that 
f wou'd  deliver  Dublin  to  them  both,  and  cause  to  be 
delivered  the  rest  of  the  garrisons  in  Ireland  in  his  power 

^V^^^e  aJ'airat'rre'fro™  DuWin    and  are  witU 
jj^  DavL,  "ufficie'nt  pledges  of  the  reaUty  of  tins  truth. 


•  Irish  Tracts,  R.  D.  S. 


t  Carte's  Ona. 


108  CONFEDERATION    OF   KILKENNY. 

that  the  Marquess  of  Ormond  doth  really  intend  to  com-, 
ply  with  tlie  parliament  against  the  rebels.  That  he 
desired  fifty  barrels  of  powder  to  be  sent  to  Dublin  to 
secure  it  against  the  Irish,  and  satisfaction  being  givea 
by  the  said  gentlemen  coming  to,  and  remaining  with 
us,  there  are  twenty  barrels  sent,  and  thirty  barrels  more 
are  to  be  sent  afterwards.  It  is  desired  that  the  supplies 
of  soldiers  from  Liverpool  and  Bristol  be  sent  over  to 
Dublin  and  other  parts  possessed  by  Ormond  and  his 
party  to  secure  them  for  the  parliament."* 

Nor  were  the  confederates  ignorant  of  Ormond's  in- 
trigues with  the  parliamentarians.  Tiiey  knew  that 
Dublin  was  ill  provided  against  a  combined  attack.  The 
Wicklow  clans  were  well  inclined  to  swoop  down  on 
the  city  from  the  south  side,  and  only  waited  the  pre- 
sence of  O'Neill  and  Preston  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Liffey.  Within  the  walls  the  lord  lieutenant  could  not 
muster  more  than  6,000  men,  so  that  to  make  it  tenable 
against  the  confederates,  with  his  customary  duplicity 
he  invoked  the  aid  of  those  who  were  at  war  with  the 
king  to  crush  the  men  whom  he  had  the  hardihood  to 
designate  rebels. 

When  the  confederates  were  made  aware  of  Ormond's 
designs,  they  concluded  tliat  further  delay  was  fraught 
with  danger,  and  they  detcnmned  to  march  at  once,  and 
if  possible  save  the  city  before  the  arrival  of  the  sup- 
plies from  England.  But  the  rivalry  and  mutual  hatred 
of  Preston  and  O'Neill,  caused  them  to  pause  before  the 
armies  were  marched  from  their  camps.  The  nuncio 
had  reason  to  doubt  Preston's  sincerity.  His  conduct, 
whilst  acting  under  Clanricarde  in  Connaught,  was  cal- 
culated to  awaken  suspicion  in  the  minds  of  those  who 
were  the  avowed  enemies  of  Ormond.  A  considerable 
sum,  part  of  the  monies  brought  by  Lord  Digby  from 
France,  had  been  given  to  Preston,  and  this  circum- 
stance was  of  itself  sufficient  to  create  fears  for  the  fide- 
lity of  the  Leinster  general. 

When,  however,  it  was  debated  in  the  council  whether 
Preston  should  have  any  share  in  the  siege  of  Dublin, 
French,  bishop  of  Ferns,  argued  that  it  would  not  be 


•  Irisli  Tracts,  R.  D.  S.    Extracts  of  Letters  from  Chester,  and  pab- 
Mlhcd  by  order  of  the  Parliament. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


politic  to  exclude  tlie  Leinster  general  from  the  com- 
mand  of  his  troops  in  liis  own  province,  and  that  he 
should  co-operate  with  O'Neill  in  the  enterprise.  Finally, 
it  was  concluded  that  the  two  generals  should  iiave  joint 
command  ;  and  the  nuncio,  who  never  forgave  Preston's 
rejoicings  on  the  publication  of  the  peace,  made  him 
take  an  oath  that  he  would  act  faithfully  and  sincerely 
in  the  operations  against  the  city.  Preston's  heart  was 
not  in  the  cause,  and  he  positively  refused  to  take  the 
oath  till  the  following  clause  was  added,  namely,  tliat 
they  would  not  attack  the  city  without  first  having 
sought  more  ample  concessions  from  the  lord  lieutenant, 
and  that  all  their  movements  should  be  regulated  by  h'n 
declaration.  Long  before  either  of  the  two  armies  moved 
from  their  cantonments,  the  Leinster  general  asserted 
that  he  feared  O'Neill's  design  was  to  attack  him, 
and  destroy  his  troops.  The  nuncio's  partiality  for  Owen 
Roe  was  a  cause  of  perpetual  disquiet  to  him,  and  if 
anything  were  required  to  confirm  it,  it  was  the  un- 
equal distribution  of  the  monies,  for  Pi,inuccini  on  the 
22nd  of  December,  bestowed  8,000  dollars  on  O'Neill's 
forces,  when  the  sura  which  he  gave  Preston  was  only 
about  £150. 

The  two  armies  marched  from  their  respective  quar- 
ters at  the  end  of  October.  The  united  forces  amounted 
to  16,000  fuot  and  1,600  horse.  O'Neill's  troops  took 
Maryborough,  Stradbally,  Grange,  Mellan,  and  all  the 
strong  places  in  the  Queen's  County,  till  he  came-  to 
Athy,  where  he  crossed  the  Barrow,  and  was  joined  by 
the  nuncio.  Preston,  whose  route  lay  through  the  county 
Carlow,  declined  storming  the  castle  of  the  town,  though 
feebly  garrisoned,  and  lingered  on  his  way  to  the  capi- 
tal, lie  complained  bitterly  that  tlie  troops  under  the 
command  of  O'Neill  were  garrisoning  the  various  strong 
places  which  tliey  had  seized  in  the  province  of  Lein- 
ster, and  gave  out  that  the  attempt  on  Dublin  was  all 
but  justifiable.  From  Harristown  they  continued  their 
march  to  Nass,  and  on  the  9th  of  November  encamped 
at  Lu'ian,  in  order  to  arrange  their  plans.  There  it  was 
agreeu  that  Preston's  head  quarters  should  be  at  Leixlip, 
and  O'Neill's  at  Newcastle.  The  winter  had  set  in  witti 
unusual  rigour,  and  all  the  country,  for  miles  around, 
presented  the  appearance  of  a  dreary  waste.     Ormond, 


170  CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 

terrified  by  their  approach,  at  the  suggestion  of  Castld* 
haven  caused  the  mills  to  be  burned  and  the  crops  de- 
stroyed. The  citizens  were  dreadfully  alarmed,  and  the 
exag:5erated  reports  of  the  ferocity  of  O'Neill's  creaglits, 
determined  many  of  them  to  embark  for  England.  To 
quiet  their  apprehensions,  the  lord  lieutenant  had  writ- 
ten to  Munroe,  in  Ulster,  to  send  him  aid,  and  the  pow. 
der  sent  by  the  parliament  was  looked  on  as  an  earnest 
o£  their  good  feeling  to  the  inhabitants  of  Dublin.  Such 
was  the  weak  condition  of  the  defences  about  the  city, 
that  the  inhabitants  wondered  that  the  two  armies  did 
not  advance  and  seize  it  in  the  broad  day ;  but  their 
wonder  grew  more  strong,  when  they  beheld  from  the 
battlements  of  Christ  Church,  and  the  high  ground 
about  the  castle,  two  hundred  watch-fires  blazing  in  the 
night  time  on  the  other  side  of  the  Liffey. 

Where  the  confederate  armies  fancied  they  would  find 
an  abundance  of  provisions,  they  now  discovered  that 
the  foresight  of  Ormond  had  ruined  their  hopes.  A 
flood  in  the  Liffey,  swollen  by  the  heavy  rains,  had  car- 
ried away  the  bridges,  and  thus  prevented  tlie  supplies 
from  being  brought  from  tlie  county  Wicklow.  The 
rains  were  succeeded  by  snow  and  frost;  and  from 
twenty  to  thirty  of  the  soldiers,  night  after  night, 
perished  at  their  posts.*  Indeed,  nothing  sustained 
them,  save  the  hope  of  good  quarters  in  Dublin,  which 
they  now  regarded  as  in  their  grasp.  But  tliere  was  a 
more  deadly  enemy  within  their  camps  than  the  storm 
which  raged  without — dissension  and  fear  of  each  other. 
They  sent  to  Ormond,  demanding  admission  of  Catliolic 
troops  into  Drogheda  and  Dublin,  and  a  free  and  public 
exercise  of  the  Catholic  religion,  such  as  Catholics  en- 
ioyed  in  other  countries.  Their  proposition  being  re- 
garded as  "too  scandalous,"  did  not  get  even  a  reply 
from  the  lord  lieutenant.  When  they  should  be  up  and 
stirring  against  him,  the  two  confederate  generals  were 
taking  precautions  against  each  other.  O'Neill  accused 
Preston  of  intriguing  with  the  lord  lieutenant,  and  me- 
ditating a  plan  which  would  have  put  him  in  a  position 
to  be  attacked  by  Orniond  from  the  city  and  tlie  Lein- 
fiter  general  from  his  camp.     Preston,   on  the  other 

•  Fiblopater  Irsea. 


COKFEDSIRATION    OF    RILKliNNY.  171 

hand,  affirmed  that  he  believed  O'Neill's  design  was  to 
destroy  him  and  cut  off  his  army.  The  nuncio  clearly 
6»w  the  impossibility  of  reconciling  the  two  generals, 
and  summoned  the  council  to  consult  whether  it  was  not 
best  to  seize  and  imprison  Preston.  The  opinion! 
varied.  Some  thought  it  best  to  inflict  that  punish- 
ment, as  all  they  held  dear  was  jeopardized  by  the 
vacillating  conduct  of  the  Leinster  general.  But,  at 
ar  unfortunate  moment,  it  was  decided,  contrary  to  the 
nuncio's  sentiment,  that  such  a  course  would  be  fatal. 
Under  such  circumstances,  the  nuncio  deemed  it  his  duty 
to  prevent  bloodshed  between  the  two  armies,  wisely  con- 
cluding that  the  loss  of  Dublin  was  inconsiderable,  when 
compared  to  the  result  of  a  conflict  between  O'Neill  and 
Preston.  It  was  a  strange  sight  to  see  the  president  of 
the  council  going  from  camp  to  camp  of  the  confederate 
armies,  endeavouring  to  effect  a  union  between  the 
respective  leaders.  But  if  the  fact  moves  us  to  pity, 
and  excites  our  contempt  for  the  temporizing  Preston, 
it  conveys  to  us  a  moral,  never  too  often  repeated,  that 
in  union  there  is  hope,  and  in  everything  beside  reverse 
and  ruin. 

On  the  11th  of  November  Clanricarde  came  to  Pres- 
ton's quarters,  and  laboured  to  persuade  the  nuncio  and 
council,  through  him,  to  sign  a  peace  with  Ormond.  He 
engaged  to  obtain  a  repeal  of  all  the  penal  enactments, 
and  that  the  queen  and  prince  should  confirm  the  arti- 
cles until  the  king  would  be  at  liberty  to  declare  his  as- 
sent in  a  free  parliament ;  but  the  fear  of  committing 
himself  to  such  uncertain  conditions,  induced  the  nun- 
cio to  withhold  his  consent.  It  was  evident  that  Or- 
mond feared  the  loss  of  Dublin,  else  he  would  not  have 
commissioned  Clanricarde  to  negotiate  with  the  nuncio , 
and  the  former  knew  well  that  every  delay  on  the  part 
of  the  confederates  added  to  his  chances  of  holding  the 
city  against  them.  Contrary  to  Owen  Roe's  avowed  re- 
quest, Rinuccini,  accompanied  by  Heber  Mac  Mahon  and 
the  Bishop  of  Ferns,  visited  Preston  in  his  tent,  and 
vainly  sought  to  induce  him  to  lay  aside  his  apprehen- 
Bions  of  O'Neill's  good  will  and  sincerity  ;  but  the  nun- 
cio,  perceiving  that  he  could  not  succeed,  charged  the 
Leinster  general  with  having  formed  a  design  to  seize 
his  person,  and  commit  him  and  the  Bishop  of  Clogher 


172  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY 

to  the  custody  of  Orniond.  Preston  did  not  deny  the 
cliarge,  but  merely  asserted  that  he  never  would  consent 
to  the  arrest. 

They  were  now  fully  twelve  days  before  Dublin  with- 
out having  made  any  attempt  on  it.  Provisions. were 
every  day  becoming  more  scarce ;  and  the  council 
was  once  more  summoned  to  suggest  some  decisive  step. 
The  two  generals  were  present ;  and  one  day,  while  the 
council  was  urging  an  advance,  and  all  were  assembled 
to  discuss  it,  some  ofte  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  cham- 
ber, and  Preston  rose  suddenly  to  open  it ;  having  heard 
three  or  four  words  from  the  person  without,  he  returned 
in  a  fright,  and  said  the  English  were  already  in  Dub- 
lin. In  a  moment  Owen  lloe  and  the  others  sprang  up 
from  their  seats,  as  if  a  serpent  had  stung  them,*  and, 
thinking  each  man  of  himself,  departed  from  his  com- 
panions. The  generals  signalled  by  cannon  fire  that 
every  man  was  to  return  to  his  post ;  and  O'Neill  having 
"made  a  bridge  of  trees  and  house  timber  over  the  Liffey 
at  Leixlip,  returned  with  his  troops  into  Meath,  and 
tlience  into  the  Queen's  County.  This  occurrence  took 
place  on  the  16th,  and  the  next  morning  the  members  of 
the  council  fled  to  Kilkenny  in  the  utmost  alarm. 

The  nuncio*remained  three  days  at  Lucan  after  the 
departure  of  O'Neill ;  during  that  time  the  Marquess  of 
Clanricarde  made  several  propositions,  and  informed  him 
of  the  falsehood  of  tlie  report  of  any  English  having 
landed.  Tlic  only  concession  which  Ormond  authorized 
Clanricarde  to  make,  was  the  admission  of  Preston's 
troops  to  garrison  Dublin,  on  condition  that  they 
would  unite  witli  the  troops  under  Ormond,  and  compel 
the  council  to  accept  the  peace,  with  the  addition  of 
Clanricarde's  engagement.  The  nuncio,  however,  pro- 
posed the  free  exercise  of  religion  as  an  indispensable 
condition,  but  as  Ormond  was  opposed  to  the  insertion 
of  any  such  agreement,  the  negotiation  ended  in  smoke. 
Preston  had  accepted  Ormond's  proposal,  and  according 
to  his  agreement  with  Clanricarde,  a  day  was  appointed 
on  which  he  was  to  unite  his  troops  with  a  detachment 
led  by  the  latter  from  the  gates  of  Dublin.  But  in  the 
mean    time    the    nuncio   had    expostulated    with    tho 

•  Nunzlatura  \n  IiLiu'^a- 


''OKFEDEHATTON    OF    KILKENNY.  17«J 

v^inster  general,  who  expressed  his  sorrow  for  having 
made  such  terms,  so  that  Clanricarde,  on  the  day 
appointed  for  the  rendezvous,  found  a  letter  of  excuses 
instead  of  an  army  of  allies,  and  with  loud  indignation 
returned  disappointed  to  Dublin. 

Rinuccini  soon  afterwards  followed  the  council  to 
Kilkenny,  where  he  caused  O'Neill  and  Preston  to  sign 
a  mutual  agreement,  by  which  they  bound  themselves 
to  forget  all  past  aissenslons,  and  whether  acting  singly 
9r  collectively  for  the  future,  to  have  but  one  object 
present  to  their  eyes— the  independence  of  their 
religion,  and  the  deliverance  of  their  common  country. 

Nothing  could  have  given  greater  joy  to  the  members 
of  the  old  council  imprisoned  at  Kilkenny,  than  the 
failure  of  the  siege  of  Dublin.  Whenever  they  received 
news  of  any  disaster  to  tlie  confederate  arms,  they 
drank  to  their  losses  in  beakers  of  beer.  They 
naturally  concluded  that  their  liberation  was  nigh, 
and  as  the  government,  in  the  hands  of  the  clergy,  was 
only  temporary  and  provisional,  they  calculated  on  a 
crisis  which  would  again  restore  them  to  the  power 
which  they  had  lost. 

It  was  now  resolved  to  call  a  general  assembly  of  the 
kingdom,  as  it  was  urged  that  such  a  proceeding  avouM 
give  greater  satisfaction  to  the  people  who  were  anxious 
for  the  formation  of  a  government  in  which  the 
representatives  were  not  elected  solely  by  the  clergy. 
Contrary  to  the  wishes  of  the  nuncio,  the  members  of 
the  old  council  were  now  released  from  imprisonment. 
Belling  entered  on  a  defence  of  his  own  conduct  and 
that  of  his  colleagues  in  the  matter  of  the  peace  con- 
eluded  with  Ormond,  and  published  in  August.  He 
asserted  that  in  signing  the  peace  he  had  done  nothing 
more  than  what  was  sanctioned  by  Pope  Innocent,  who, 
in  the  presence  of  Luke  Wadding,  cautioned  the 
delegates*  of  the  confederates  against  seeking  more  than 
his  majesty  was  able  to  concede  in  his  difficulties.  This 
was  an  assertion  which  required  more  than  the  word  of 
BelUng  for  its  confirmation,  and  the  nuncio  denied  that 
his  holiness  had  ever  made  any  such  statement,  as  it 
was  totally  irreconcilable  with  the  instructions  he  had 

*  PLiiop.  IrasQ. 


►  74  CONFEDERATION    OF    K^LKENNT. 

received  from  Rome,  which  charged  him  not  to  abata 
a  single  tittle  of  the  jus*:-  demands  of  the  Catholics. 

In  the  meantime  Ormond  was  carrymg  on  a  negowation 
with  the  parliament  commissioners,  Clotworthy,  Mere- 
dith, King,  and  Salway,  who  had  anchored  in  the  bay  of 
Dublin  on  the  13th  of  November.  At  the  prayer  of  the 
citizens  he  invited  them  to  land  on  the  14th,  and  fixed 
their  quarters  at  Ringsend  and  Baggotrath,  and  on  the 
day  following  opened  a  treaty  with  them  which  was 
carried  on  till  the  23rd  of  the  month.  The  terms  which 
they  proposed  not  being  agreeable  to  the  lord  lieutenant, 
they  embarked  a  few  days  afterwards,  and  carried 
their  supplies  to  the  Scots  in  Ulster,  who,  in  the 
absence  of  O'Neill,  had  sent  700  men  from  Lisnegarvy, 
and  ravaged  the  counties  of  Cavan,  Monaghan  and  Louth, 
and  amongst  other  places,  demolished  Carrickmacross. 

The  result  of  the  negotiation  with  the  parliament 
commissioners  was  prejudicial  to  the  lord  lieutenant  j  it 
6owed  such  seeds  of  jealousy  and  discontent*  that  the 
citizens  of  Dublin  refused  to  contribute  further  to  the 
payment  of  his  troops,  so  that  he  was  forced,  in  the  cold 
and  wet  wintei*,  to  draw  out  his  half-starved  and  half- 
naked  army  and  march  into  the  county  Westmeath,  to 
procure  provisions.  The  defection  of  Preston,  who,  in 
his  excuse  for  not  adopting  Ormond's  offer,  asserted 
that  his  troops  were  not  "excommunication  proof,"  was 
a  sore  blow  to  him.  His  object  was  to  act  with  the 
Scots  in  Ulster,  and  having  gained  over  the  unsteady 
Preston,  to  annihilate  O'Neill,  and  thus  force  the 
observance  of  the  peace.  In  his  present  circumstances 
one  incident  saved  him  from  the  army  of  Owen  Roe. 
While  he  was  keeping  "  a  melancholy  Christmas"t  at 
Trim,  a  short  cessation,  proposed  by  Muskerry,  was 
agreed  to,  else  *'  the  half-starved  and  half-naked"  army  of 
Dublin  must  have  made  a  sorry  figure  before  the  Ulster 
general. 

Thwarted  in  his  scheme,  he  did  not  despair  for  i 
moment,  and  the  assurance  sent  nim  by  his  kinsman 
Muskerry,  "that  in  the  approaching  general  assembly 
matters  should  be  arranged  agreeably  to  his  pleasure," 
consoled  him  for  the  uneasiness  and  trouble  he  exi)eri 
enc£d  in  the  vicinity  of  O'Neill's  army. 

•  Borlase.  t  Cox. 


COSFEDEUATIOM    OF    KILKENNT. 


Nor  was  Preston's  vacillation  useless  to  the  lord 
aeutenant;  on  the  contrary,  Orniond  had  strong  reasons 
for  calculating  on  the  sympathies  of  the  Leinster  general. 
His  enmity  to  O'Neill,  however  it  might  have  been 
masked,  must  sooner  or  later  develope  itself,  and  as  he  had 
but  little  feeUng  for  the  "old  Irish,"  he  knew  that  the 
nuncio  would  eventually  distrust  him.  One  thing  was 
certain,  and  that  certainty  could  not  but  be  grateful  to 
Ormond :  the  two  generals  who  had  quarrelled  under  the 
walls  of  Dublin,  were  so  divided  by  the  antagonism  of  clasa 
that  their  cordial  co-operation  could  not  be  looked  for. 
On  leaving  Dublin  the  lord  lieutenant  had  been  induced  to 
believe  that  by  making  an  attack  on  Athlone,  he  might 
get  possession  of  that  important  fortress.  It  had  been 
surprised  early  in  September,  and  taken  by  one  of 
O'Neill's  officers  from  Lord  Dillon,  who  held  it  for 
Ormond.  Dillon  had  made  his  profession  of  faith 
on  the  6th  of  December,  and  was  received  into  the 
Catholic  church  by  the  nuncio,  who  entreated  Owen 
Roe  to  reinstate  hira  in  the  command.  But,  so  deter- 
mined was  the  Ulster  general,  that  he  could  not  be 
induced  to  comply,  and  sent  Richard  OTerrall  and 
Roger  Maguire,  with  positive  orders  to  hold  the  place 
against  Ormond  and  every  one  else. 

The  day  of  the  general  assembly  was  now  at  hand,  and 
on  the  result  of  the  meeting  the  fate  of  Ireland  depended. 
The  subject  which  had  hitherto  divided  the  council  of 
the  confederates  was  that  of  religion ;  and,  as  if  anti- 
cipating the  decision  of  the  majority,  Ormond  wrote  to 
Digby,  who  was  setting  out  for  Paris,  that  the  com- 
mands to  be  forwarded  to  him  by  the  queen  and  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  touching  that  vital  question,  "  shoidd 
not  thwart  the  grounds  he  had  laid  to  himself." 

"  For,  in  that  matter,"  ran  the  instruction  of  the  lord 
lieutenant,  "I  shall  obey  by  suffering,  and  particularly 
that  there  be  no  concession  to  the  Papists  to  perpetuate 
churches  or  church  livings ;"  but,  as  far  as  regarded  the 
quiet  exercise  of  their  religion,  it  might  be  free  for  his 
majesty  to  tolerate  it,  if  he  could  see  anything  in 
them  but  '  Irish  rebels.'  " 

Thus  the  sum  of  all  they  had  struggled  for  was  to 
be  the  toleration  of  their  creed.  The  blood  and  sweat 
of  five  years  were  to  be  rewarded  by  a  connivance  at  tua 


practice  of  their  conscientious  convictions,  in  the  rucV 
but  and  "up  in  the  mountain  solitudes."  At  the  tittiug 
time  the  cathedrals  and  the  ecclesiastical  revenues  were 
to  be  given  back  to  the  Protestant  clergy,  who  had 
already  petitioned  Ormond  for  stipend  till  they  were 
restored  to  their  benefices.  Out  of  tliese  sacred  edifices, 
whicli  the  piety  of  their  forefathers  had  erected,  the 
t^athohc  clergy  M'ere  to  be  expelled,  to  propitiate  the 
lord  lieutenant.  The  craven-hearted  Catholics  of  the 
J.  a  e  seconded  his  views,  and  as  they  were  his  adherents 
and  sycophantic  clients,  he  looked  on  them  as  his  mo«< 
useful  instruments  in  creating  division  and  disunion 
iiut  tliey  were  destined  to  discover  their  error  when 
1  was  irremediable,  and  find  that  the  man  on  whom 
they  placed  such  hopes  and  confidence  was  ''an  in- 
constant  friend  and  an  unforgiving  enemy."" 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Nkver  did  that  city  seated  on  the  "  stubborn  Nor<^" 
contain  within  its  walls  a  more  august  or  brilliant 
assemblage  than  on  the  10th  of  January,  1647.  The 
morning  of  that  memorable  day  beheld  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  confederate  Catholics  assisting  at  hio-li 
mass  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Canice.  It  was  a  solemn 
scene,  such  as  memory  loves  to  dwell  on.  David, 
Bishop  of  Ossory,  was  the  officiating  priest,  and  a  choir 
oi  Italians  sung  the  responses.  On  the  left  of  the 
grand  altar  sat  the  nuncio  on  a  iofty  throne,  arrayed  in 
glittering  cope  and  jewelled  mitre ;  around  him  sat 
eleven  bishops,  with  the  primate,  Hugh  O'Reilly,  at 
their  head.  Immediately  behind  the  bishops,  sat  the 
temporal  peers,  attended  by  their  erquires.  Diego 
della  Torre  and  Du  Moulins,  the  envoys  from  the 
Spanish  and  French  courts,  had  distinguished  places 
near  them.     Two  hundred  and  twenty-four  gentlemen, 

•"Amicus  levissimus ,  inimjcus  gr3.^U^sixiiivi :'- Froverb  quoted  in  thi 
UnJcmd  J)eserter. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNT. 


i77 


representing  the  Commons  of  Ireland,  occupied  the 
remaining  space  about  the  richly  ornamented  altar. 
The  cheering  ray  of  the  winter  sun  shone  feebly 
through  the  great  eastern  window."  whose  brilliant 
tints  had  excited  the  artistic  cupidity  of  Rinuccini 
The  piety  and  chivalry  of  the  land  were  represented 
within  the  sacred  edifice,  and  above  the  heads  of  that 
glorious  assemblage,  were  suspended  the  torn  banners 
of  Beinburb,  for  they  had  not  as  ytt  been  sent  as  votive 
offerings  to  the  holy  see. 

Thei-e  they  knelt  around  that  altar  which  they  had  sworn 
to  uphold.  Many  an  illustrious  name  has  been  preserved 
to  us  of  those  who  were  on  iiiat  day  invoking  blessings 
on  the  cause  of  their  religion  and  country.  M'Carthy 
Riagh  and  O'SuUivan  More,  from  the  south ;  O'Donnell 
and  M'Gennis,  from  the  north ;  O'Conor  Don  and 
O'Conor  Sligo,  from  the  west ;  Preston  and  Talbot 
from  the  plains  of  Leinster,  with  the  descendant  of 
Pheagh  Mac-Hugh  O'Byrne,  from  his  fortalice  of  Bally- 
nacoiT,  in  the  Wicklow  mountains.  The  "  ite  missa 
est,"  pronounced  at  the  conclusion  of  that  day's  solem- 
nity, sent  them  forth  to  struggle  for  their  homes  and 
altars  on  their  own  soil,  and  on  almost  all  the  battled-fields 
of  the  continent.  But  of  all  who  were  now  kneeling 
beneath  the  roof  of  St.  Canice,  onef  alone  was  destined 
to  find  a  grave  within  its  precints.  Little  did  they  then 
think  of  that  fearful  storm  which  was  soon  to  sweep 
their  native  land  and  desolate  their  homesteads;  but 
if  they  could  have  anticipated  how  fondly  aftertimes 
should  cherish  the  recollection  of  their  virtues  and 
leroism,  it  might  have  consoled  them  for  the  bitter 
trials  and  heart-burnings  they  had  to  endure.  Sir 
Phelim  O'Neill  perishing  on  the  scaffold,  a  martyr  to 
'ruth,j;  and   Terence   Albert   O'Bryan,    the   Bishop  of 


•This  -nindow  was  the  gift  of  Bishop  Ledred;  and  Grose  in  his 
Antiquities  states  tliat  Kinuccini  offered  70G1.  for  it,  in  order  to  send  it 
to  lUinic.  it  -Nvere  tetter  he  had  succeeded  in  purchasing  it,  for  it 
would  have  been  preseiTed  though  at  a  distance  fi-om  us.  ^Vhea 
Axtel  was  governor  of  Kilkenny  in  Cromwell  s  time,  his  savages 
smashed  it,  in  a  fit  of  holy  indignation  against  popish  saints  and 
Dictxxres. 

i  iioortcaiTet,  who  died  In  1651 .  Vide  Ilib.  Dcm 


l78  CONFEDERATIOW  OF  KILKENNY. 

Emly,  in  sight  of  the  gibbet,  pronouncing  in  the  eare 
of  Ireton,  the  prophecy  of  his  death  by  pestilence,  are 
facts  which  cannot  be  forgotten.  Irish  genius  has  yet 
to  make  them  glow  on  canvass  in  the  temple  of 
nationality ;  nor  shall  distinction  of  creed  prevent  us 
doing  honor  to  the  men  whose  love  of  fatherland  must 
endear  them  to  the  recollection  of  all. 

But  the  scene  is  changed,  and  the  bishops,  nobles,  and 
commons  are  assembled  in  the  great  gallery  of  Kilkenny 
castle. 

The  nuncio  was  the  first  to  address  the  assembly. 
Adverting  to  the  congregation  of  the  prelates  and  clergy 
at  Waterford,  he  solemnly  declared  that  necessity  alone 
had  compelled  him  and  the  bishops  to  adopt  that  course, 
which  M'as  indubitably  agreeable  to  the  people  at  large, 
however  otherwise  it  might  have  been  to  tlie  adherents 
of  Lord  Ormond.  Much  contrary  to  his  own  wish  he 
had  been  induced  to  take  the  conspicuous  and  onerous 
part  of  president  of  the  congregation,  which  he  was  now 
ready  to  resign,  in  order  to  bring  about  an  indissoluble 
union  of  parties.  In  terms  which  were  any  thing  but 
flattering  to  the  commissioners  engaged  in  the  late  ne- 
gotiations with  Ormond,  he  repudiated  the  articles  of  the 
peace  which  they  had  concluded.  They  had  done  this, 
he  affirmed,  without  the  consent  of  the  prelacy  and  peo- 
ple of  Ireland  ;  but  as  it  was  now  evident  that  laity  and 
clergy  longed  for  repose,  he  exhorted  them  to  proceed  to 
the  conclusion  of  an  honorable  peace,  which  fully  guar- 
anteed the  independence  of  their  religion.  "  Soanxious," 
he  continued,  "  is  Pope  Innocent  for  the  security  of  your 
religion  and  country,  that  he  has  recently  sent  from 
Eome  the  Dean  of  Fermo,  with  supplies  of  money  and 
paternal  assurances  of  his  good  will  towards  you.  The 
benevolence  of  the  holy  father  is  only  commensurate  with 
the  joy  he  has  experienced  on  receiving  news  of  youi 
victories  ;  and  if  proof  be  wanting,  see  it  here  in  the  re- 
quest which  I  am  commissioned  to  convey  to  you,  that 
■^u  will  send  the  standards*  captured  from  your  enemies, 

*  "  These  standards,"  -writes  the  nuncio  to  Cardinal  Paufilio,  "were 
BO  torn  in  the  death-struggle  at  Beinburb  and  elsewhere,  that  he  was 
obIi|?ed  to  remove  some  of  them  from  the  staffs  m  order  to  forward  thea 
to  Konie." — Rimwcini. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKKNNT. 


173 


that  thej  may  be  hung  up  in  the  basilicas  of  Rome,  to 
record  your  devotion  to  the  holy  see,  and  the  indomita- 
ble bravery  of  the  Irish  people." 

He  concluded  his  address  by  assuring  them  that  hij 
feelings  were  all  opposed  to  any  position  which  would 
impose  on  him  tne  burden  of  temporal  concerns,  as  his 
solicitude  was  for  the  weal  of  that  religion  for  which 
they  had  taken  up  arms.  Yet,  if  any  thing  in  the  history 
of  the  events  which  had  transpired  remained  to  console 
him,  it  was  the  timely  victory  won  by  the  men  of  Ulster ; 
"for,"  said  he,  with  marked  emphasis,  "if  heaven  had  not 
fought  on  the  side  of  O'Neill,  on  the  memorable  day  of 
Beinburb,  tlie  representatives  ofthe  Catholic  confederates 
would  not  be  to-day  assembled  in  this  goodly  city. 
The  churches  must  have  been  desecrated — the  priesthooc' 
scattered — and  the  peers  temporal  and  spiritual  who  now 
listen  to  my  voice,  either  sacrificed  by  the  swords  of  the 
Puritans  or  languishing  in  prison." 

The  address  concluded,  and  received  with  acclamation, 
a  most  important  point  wa,s  now  to  be  discussed  before 
entering  on  the  consideration  of  other  matters.  There 
was,  indeed,  a  unanimous  desire  amongst  all  parties  ioi 
the  conclusion  of  peace ;  but  the  condition**  on  "N'hich  it 
was  to  be  drawn  up  constituted  the  str.mbinig-block  be- 
tween the  clergy,  and  Muskerrj  and  Mountgarret,  who 
thought  of  notliing  so  much  as  catering  to  Ormond. 

Smarting  under  the  blow  inflicted  by  the  edict  of  Wa- 
terford,  which  denounced  them  as  perjurers,  the  com- 
missioners now  sought  to  justify  their  proceedings  in  the 
matter  of  the  treaty,  and  disprove  the  crime  which  tho 
declaration  of  the  prelates  meant  to  attach.  In  this  dis- 
cussion three  weeks  were  consumed,  and  the  heat  of  the 
■contending  parties  was  near  bringing  about  the  most 
disastrous  consequences  to  the  entire  body.  The  demon 
of  discord  was  amongst  them,  and  when  it  was  moved  by 
the  Bishop  of  Ferns  that  Preston  should  be  impeached, 
as  conniving  with  the  adherents  of  Ormond,  swords  and 
daggers  were  near  being  drawn  on  both  sides.  *  In  this 
matter  it  required  the  joint  influence  of  the  prelates,  and 
Plunket,  the  chairman,  to  suppress  a  most  unseemly 
tumult. 


a  PhEop.  IraBO.  41. 


l?,ij  CONFEDEaA^TIOH   OP    KILKSNKT. 

Day  after  day  was  the  unhappy  question  of  the  Water« 
ford  declaration  raised  and  discussed; — the  commis- 
sioners, on  the  one  side,  vindicating  their  conduct  in  the 
■jansaction  witli  Ormond,  and  the  prelates,  on  the  other, 
jefending  tlie  course  they  had  adopted.  In  self-defence 
t  was  argued  by  the  commissioners  that  their  consent  to 
the  thirty  articles  was  founded  on  the  secret  concessions 
of  Glamorgan,  and  therefore  the  charge  of  perjury  was 
not  sustainable.  This  assertion  was  far  from  satisfactory 
to  the  prelates,  who  maintained  that  when  the  commis- 
sioners were  subscribing  the  treaty  tliey  must  have 
known  that  Glamorgan  had  been  disavowed.  In  order, 
however,  to  terminate  such  rancorous  recriminations, 
the  commissioners  now  agreed  to  condemn  the  peace  ; 
and,  for  that  purpose,  an  instrument  was  drawn  up 
■which  embraced  both  points — the  evacuation  of  the 
peace  and  the  vindication  of  their  own  conduct.  The 
resolution,  published  tlie  2nd  of  February,  set  forth  that 
the  commissioners  had  acted  honestly,  and  pursuant  to 
their  instructions,  in  making  the  peace,  and  that  the 
clergy  had  acted  conscientiously  in  rejecting  it.  It  is 
hard  to  reconcile  such  contradiction,  but  as  the  commis- 
sioners  could  not  be  induced  to  reject  the  peace  on  any 
other  terms,  the  resolution  was  agreed  to.  It  was  now 
necessary  that  the  assembly  should  advertise  Ormond  of 
what  they  had  done  by  a  public  manifesto,  and  on  the 
same  day  it  was  almost  unanimously  resolved,  that  "  they 
would  not  accept  that  peace,  and  therefore  they  pro- 
tested against  it  as  invalid  and  of  no  force,  and  that  the 
nation  would  accept  of  no  peace  not  containing  a  suffi- 
cient security  for  the  religlwa,  lives,  and  estates  nf  the 
confederate  Catholics." 

This  resolution  was  published  t\rj  or  three  days  after 
Lord  TaafFe  and  Colonel  Barry  had  got  a  safe  conduct  to 
come  into  the  confederate  quarters.  They  brought  a 
letter  from  Ormond  to  the  chairman  of  the  assembly, 
urging  the  necessitj^  of  adhering  to  the  peace  concluded 
in  August,  and  asking  £1,000  per  month  for  the  subsist- 
ence of  the  king's  troops ;  but  before  the  deputies  were 
granted  an  audience  they  learned  that,  out  of  three  hun- 
dred, twelve  alone  were  for  Ormond's  peace,  and  they 
f»oT»spo»'«'>'tiv  declined  pr«v«'en'^<""  th^  lord  iieutenant'8 


COKFEDEBATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

It  was  no"w  moved,  that  a  new  oath  should  be  admi 
nistered  to  all  persons  for  the  continuance  of  their  union 
till  all  the  propositions  which  were  annexed  to  it  should 
be  obtained  and  secured.  The  nuncio  successfully 
pressed  the  matter,  and  it  was  finally  subscribed  by  the 
peers,  spiritual  and  temporal,  and  all  the  commons, 
without  dissent.  The'  propositions  annexed  were  pre- 
cisely tliose  which  had  been  drawn  up  by  tlie  prelates 
in  the  assembly  of  Waterford,  and  of  wliich  no  mention 
was  made  in  the  thirty  articles  of  Ormond.  They  were 
as  follows : — 

1.  "That  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy  and  laity  have 
and  enjoy  the  free  and  public  exercise  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion  throughout  the  kingdom,  as  it  was  ir 
the  reign  of  Henry  VII.  or  any  other  Catholic  king,  his 
predecessors. 

2.  "  Tliat  the  secular  clergy  of  Ireland,  viz.,  pri- 
mates, archbisliops,  bishops,  ordinaries,  deans,  chapters, 
archdeacons,  and  other  dignitaries  ;_vicars,  and  all  other 
pastors  of  the  secular  clergy,  and  their  respective  sue-  • 
cessors,  sliall  have  and  enjoy,  all  and  every  of  them,  all 
manner  of  jurisdiction,  privileges,  and  immunities,  in  as 
full  and  ample  manner  as  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy 
had  or  enjoyed  Avithin  this  realai  at  any  time  during  the 
reign  of  the  late  king,  Henry  VII.,  king  of  England 
and  lord  of  Ireland,  any  declaration  of  law,  laws,  sta- 
tutes, power,  or  any  other  authority  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. 

3.  "  That  all  laws  and  statutes  made  since  the  time  of 
King  Henry  VIII.,  whereby  any  restraint,  penalty, 
mulct,  or  incapacity,  or  other  restriction  whatsoever,  is 
or  may  be  laid  upon  any  of  the  Roman  Catliolics,  eitlier 
of  the  clergy  or  laity,  for  the  said  exercise  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  religion  within  this  kingdom,  and  of  tlieir 
several  functions,  jurisdictions,  and  privileges,  may  be 
repealed,  revoked,  and  declared  void  in  the  next  parlia- 
ment, by  one  or  more  acts  of  parliament  to  be  passed 
therein. 

4.  "  That  the  primates,  bishops,  ordinaries,  deans,  and 
chapters,  archdeacons,  chancellors,  treasurers,  chanters, 
guardians  of  collegiate  churches,  prebendaries,  and 
other  dignitaries,  shall  have,  hold,  and  enjoy  all  the 
churches  and  church-livings  in  as  large  and  ample  man- 


(82  COHFEDEBATIOK    OF   KILKBNNT. 

ner  as  the  late  Protestant  clergy  respectively  enjoyed 
the  same  on  the  1st  day  of  September,  1641,  together 
with  all  their  rights,  profits,  emoluments,  perquisites, 
liberties  to  their  respective  sees  and  churches  belonging, 
as  well  in  all  places  now  in  possession  of  the  confederate 
Catholics,  as  also  in  all  other  places  that  shall  be  re- 
covered by  them  from  the  adverse  party  within  this 
kingdom,  saving  to  the  Roman  Catholic  laity  and  their 
respective  rights,  according  to  the  laws  of  this  king- 
dom." 

Such  were  the  conditions  on  which  peace  with  Ormond 
was  to  be  sought.  Henceforth  they  were  solemnly 
sworn  to  preserve  their  allegiance  to  the  king  intact,  but 
9ever  to  lay  down  their  arms  till  the  aforesaid  articles 
were  fully  ratified.  A  proclamation,  enjoining  all  Ca- 
tholics to  contend  for  these  their  chartered  rights,  was 
published  by  order  of  the  general  assembly  on  the  8th 
of  March,  and  all  who  refused  to  take  the  oath  with  the 
annexed  conditions,  were  denounced  as  traitors  to  theit 
God  and  country. 

But  if  any  proof  were  wanting  of  the  overweening 
loyalty  of  those  men  who  were  denounced  by  Ormond 
as  Irish  rebels,  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  the 
transactions  of  the  confederates  during  this  meeting  at 
Kilkenny.  Amongst  other  questions  there  discussed, 
was  that  of  the  appointment  of  the  bishops  to  Irish  sees. 
The  Catholic  lawyers,  amongst  the  most  conspicuous  of 
whom  was  Mr.  D'Arcy,  contended  that  the  right  of  pa- 
tronage was  vested  in  tlie  crown,  and  that  the  choice  of 
bishops  and  incumbents  should  be  made  in  a  settled 
form  between  the  supreme  council  (who  acted  at 
present  in  the  king's  right)  and  the  metropolitans  and 
chapters.*  The  novelty  of  the  doctrine  startled  the 
nuncio,  who  imagined  at  first  that  it  was  a  scheme  on 
the  part  of  the  Ormondist  party  to  introduce  into  the 
vacant  sees  their  own  clients  and  adherents ;  but  he  was 
>oon  made  aware  that  the  four  lawyers  who  advanced 
die  proposition,  vesting  the  right  of  nomination  in  the 
crown,  were  really  sincere  in  their  opinion.  Taking 
away  that  right,  they  contended,  would  amount  to  a 
breach  of  their  allegiance,  as  they  had  sworn  to  main- 

•  Hib.  Dom.  Unkind  Deserter.  t  Ein.  p.  500. 


CONFEDEKATIOX    OF    KILKENNY.  183 

Sain  inviolate  all  his  majest^-'s  just  prerogatives,  rights, 
tnd  jurisdiction.  Auother  argument  insisted  on  was, 
that  thi!y  had  no  other  means  left  them  of  preventing 
Protestants  being  appointed  to  tlie  vacant  sees,  if  it  was 
not  admitted  that  tlie  jus  patronatus,  or  power  of  ap- 
pointing, was  actually  vested  in  the  crown.  Conceding 
that  power  to  the  Pope,  they  said  nothing  could  be  ex- 
pected from  a  Protestant  monarch  or  executive.  In 
vain  did  Rinuccini  endeavou*  to  convince  them  that  no 
such  power  belonged  of  right  to  the  crown.  Granting 
that  at  any  point  of  time  such  privilege  belonged  to  it, 
that  privilege  must  have  been  granted  from  the  Holy 
See ;  and  now  that  the  King  of  England  professed  no 
longer  the  doctrines  of  Rome,  the  power  of  nominating, 
if  it  ever  granted  such,  must  naturally  have  reverted  to 
the  fountain  head. 

The  nuncio  repudiated  their  pernioious  dogmas,  and 
after  times  has  put  the  seal  on  his  decision.  But  yet 
•*  so  stiff"  were  the  lawyers  in  their  opinion,  that  he 
was  forced  to  move  the  article  might  be  set  aside  till  he 
had  consulted  the  court  of  Rome  on  the  subject.  But 
it  was  a  foregone  conclusion,  and  having  satisfied  the 
importunity  of  these  over  loyal  men,  whose  temporizing 
failed  in  this  instance,  he  assured  them  that  any  recom- 
mendation emanating  from  the  supreme  council  should 
be  treated  with  marked  respect  by  tlie  Holy  See,  which, 
however,  would  not  acknowledge  the  right  of  election 
vested  in  any  other  than  the  representative  of  the 
"  Fisherman." 

Having  settled  this  point,  the  other  debates  turned  on 
the  obligation  of  the  oath  recently  taken  ;  in  regard  of 
which  it  was  moved — "  That  though  the  propositions  of 
the  clergy  were  ratified  and  approved  by  the  assembly, 
and  annexed  to  the  oath,  yet  the  assembly  should  not 
by  any  of  these  propositions  be  excluded  from  assenting 
to  any  medium  to  be  agreed  to  by  vote  of  that  body, 
and  inserted  by  them  in  their  instructions  about  churches 
or  ecclesiastical  lands,  in  parts  and  places  possessed  by 
the  Protestants,  at  the  conclusion  of  any  peace  or  accom- 
modation to  be  made  with  the  lord  lieutenant,  or  any 
other  persc-  empowered  by  his  majesty."* 

•  Bin.  p.  201 ;  Carte  Orm.  p.  587. 


'84  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

The  assembly  now  set  about  considering  tlie  proposi- 
tions  submitted  by  Barry  on  behalf  of  Ormoud,  The 
})eace  was. pronounced  as  of  no  force,  but  they  consented 
to  a  cessation  for  three  weeks,  till  March  the  13th,  and 
soon  after  to  a  month  longer,  allowing  the  lord  lieutenant 
to  enlarge  his  quarters  in  the  county  of  Dublin  in  lieu  of 
.he  money  which  he  demanded  for  the  maintenance  of 
his  troops. 

As  soon  as  the  cessation  was  concluded,  a  proposal  was 
made  in  the  general  assembly  to  treat  the  question  of  a 
peace,  as  it  was  now  no  longer  doubtful  that  Ormondhad 
written  on  the  6th  of  February  to  the  parliament  com- 
missioners, offering  to  deliver  the  towns  and  garrisons  to 
such  as  they  should  depute  to  receive  them.  For  this 
purpose  Geoffry  Brown  and  Dr.  Fennel  were  ordered  to 
proceed  to  Dublin  to  propose  a  conjunction  of  the  con- 
federate forces  with  those  of  Orraond,  on  the  distinct  un 
derstanding  that  both  armies  should  act  independently  of 
each  other,  and  under  their  respective  leaders.  The  pro- 
positions annexed  to  the  oath  were  to  be  an  indispensable 
condition  to  this  arrangement,  and  the  confederate  troops 
were  to  be  admitted  into  the  king's  garrisons,  or  to  have  the 
towns  put  into  their  hands.  Ormond,  who  was  willing  to 
lend  a  ready  ear  to  any  accommodation  with  the  parlia- 
ment, scouted  the  proposals  of  the  confederate  deputies ;  nor 
did  he  condescend  to  give  them  a  formal  answer  till  the 
assembly  sent  Theobald  Butler  to  press  him  on  the  sub- 
ject, when  he  declared  that  he  would  not  assent  to  the 
propositions. 

Thus,  when  all  hopes  of  a  peace  were  entirely 
frustrated,  the  assembly  turned  their  attention  to  the 
re-appointment  of  the  generals  who  were  to  com- 
mand their  troops  in  the  various  provinces.  The  trea- 
sury was  empty,  and  the  crops  wasted,  and  a  solitary 
chance  was  left  to  console  them  in  the  anticipation  of 
many  evils.  The  Dean  of  Fermo  had  not  yet  appeared 
with  the  monies  which  had  been  given  by  the  Holy  See, 
and  collected  by  the  indefatigable  industry  of  Luke 
Wadding.  His  coming  was  hourly  looked  for,  and  the 
assurances  given  by  Mazarin  led  the  confederates  to 
thick  that  the  Queen  of  England  was  interested  in  their 
cause,  and  consequently  would  not  fail  to  succour  them, 
now  that  they  stood  in  arms  against  the  parliament — • 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


185 


Conflicting  and  various  were  the  communications  from 
the  court  of  the  English  queen  ;  at  one  moment  it  was 
rumoured  that  she  designed  coming  witli  tlie  Prince  of 
"Wales,  and  that  she  inclined  to  the  demands  of  the  Ca- 
tholics in  the  matter  of  their  recent  treaty  with  the  lord 
lieutenant,  and  that  the  latter,  far  from  negotiating 
with  the  rebels  in  England,  was  determined  to  hoidDublia 
for  her  majesty  and  the  prince.  But  the  more  energetic 
of  the  council  clearly  perceived  tliat  it  was  to  be  a  death 
struggle  between  them  and  the  parliament,  and  took 
their  precautions  accordingly.  It  was  now  referred  to  a 
select  committee  of  the  confederate  council  to  devise 
means  for  the  support  of  tlieir  troops,  till  th^g  supplies 
which  they  Avere  expecting  had  arrived.  The  exigency 
was  promptly  met,  and  a  resolution  of  the  committee 
determined  that,  along  with  tlie  ordinary  contributions, 
a  tenth  of  all  fruits  and  chattels  should  be  given  by  tlie 
laity,  and  an  eighth  by  the  bishops  and  clergy,  secular 
and  regular.  Everything  that  could  tend  to  replenish 
their  exhausted  coffers  was  readily  effected,  and  the 
chalices  and  church  furniture  were  turned  into  money. 

At  the  same  time  it  was  resolved  that  "Owen  Roe" 
should  have  the  command  of  the  Connaught,  as  well  as 
the  Ulster  forces.  Preston,  feared  and  distrusted  by  the 
nuncio  and  elegy,  was  re-appointed  to  command  in 
Leinster ;  and,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  Muskerry  and 
his  party,  Glamorgan  was  to  head  the  troops  of 
Munster. 

Never  did  the  confederates  apprehend  greater  danger 
of  their  existence  than  at  this  moment.  The  storm 
which  so  long  lowered  was  about  to  burst  on  the  land  ; 
nor  did  it  need  the  wit  of  a  seer  to  foretell  the  havoc  and 
ruin  which  were  suspended  above  their  heads.  The  blow 
which  was  struck  by  O'Neill  in  Ulster  had  only  stunne<^ 
the  Covenanters ;  the  supplies  sent  by  the  parliament 
had  recruited  Munroe's  strength,  and  he  now  burned 
for  revenge.  From  the  south  there  came  disastrous 
news.  Inchiquin  was  up  again,  merciless  and  infuriated  ; 
and  the  Marquess  of  Ormond,  folsely  stating  that  the 
••insolent  demands  of  the  Catholics"  had  compelled  him 
to  treat  with  the  king's  enemies,  was  about  to  open  the 
gates  of  Dublin  to  that  ruthless  faction. 

At  such  a  moment,  and  when  so  much  lay  at  stake. 


180  CONFEDESATIOJT   OF    KILKENNr. 

no  practicable  alternative  was  adopted  by  the  nuncio  of 
the  lord  lieutenant.  The  former  was  not  a  man  for  the 
doctrines  of  expediency ;  or,  in  other  words,  he  was  too 
much  the  statesman  of  principle.  He  did  not  care  to 
bring  about  a  union  between  the  Catholic  and  Protestant 
aristocracy,  but  devoted  all  his  energies  to  realize  aa 
imaginary  project.  Yet  he  might  have  perceived  that  in 
the  council  of  the  confederates  tliere  were  fatal  jealousies 
and  false  friends,  and  that  tho  bond  of  their  common 
religion  alone  kept  them  for  the  while  together.  Were 
it  not  for  this,  into  how  many  sections  must  they  not 
have  been  divided  ?  Nevertheless,  let  us  not  throw  the 
blame  on  the  confederates,  or  stigmatise  them  as  the 
cause  of  all  the  evils  which  came  on  their  native  land. 
The  fatal  policy  of  Ormond  was  not  less  culpable  than 
that  of  Rinuccini.  The  assembly  had  continued  their 
meetings  ten  weeks  longer  than  at  any  other  period,  in 
the  hope  of  inducing  him  to  forego  his  coquetry  with 
the  parliament,  but  all  in  vain.  He  hated  the  Catholics 
with  an  intense  hate,  and  would  rather  ha^e  seen  the 
crescent  flying  from  the  Castle  of  Dublin  than  the  stan- 
dard of  the  confederates.  He  higgled  too  long,  says  his 
eulogist  O'Connor,  and  allowed  the  seasonable  opportu- 
nity for  action  to  elapse.  Had  he  thrown  the  weight  of 
his  influence  into  the  scale  against  the  Puritans  as  against 
the  nuncio,  Preston  and  O'Neill  would  have  joined  him 
against  the  Scots.  The  nobility  and  gentry  would  liave 
been  with  him  to  a  man,  and  the  monarchy  would  have 
been  saved.* 

All  other  resources  failing,  it  was  now  determined 
by  the  confederates  to  have  recourse  to  the  sword. 
Freedom  of  conscience,  and  the  restoration  of  the 
churches  and  the  plundered  estates  of  the  Catholic 
nobility  and  arentry,  weretlie  objects  which  banded  them 
together.  The  exhortations  of  their  clergy  cheered 
them  to  the  struggle,  and  the  poor  but  faithful  pea- 
santry flocked  around  their  standard  wherever  it  was 
raised. 

The  last  act  of  Ormond  cleared  away  all  doubt  as  to 
his  intentions  towards  the  parliament.  His  second  son, 
Lord  Richard  Butler,  with  the  Earl  of  Roscommon,  and 

Culufiit).  II.  228 


ertT.FTT'V.n ATIOS   OF    KILKENNY. 

Bir  James  Ware,  had  been  sent  a*  hostages  for  his  per- 
formance of  the  articles,  in  consideration  of  which, 
he  was  to  surrender  Dublin  to  the  English  rebels.* 
The  assembly  resolved,  therefore,  to  break  up  iu  tiao 
ijcgmning  of  April,  and  before  adjourning  they  ap- 
pointed their  next  meeting  to  take  place  on  the  12th 
of  November  following.  A  new  supreme  council  ol 
i-v.  enty-four  was  now  elected  ;  all  of  whom,  with  the 
exception  of  Muskerry  and  three  others,  were  inflexibly 
opposed  to  the  Marquess  of  Ormond. 

The  hostages  had  scarcely  arrived  in  England  when 
1 ,000  foot  and  400  horse  were  marched  from  Ulster,  and 
received  by  Ormond  into  the  garrisons  of  Drogheda  and 
Dublin,  where  they  were  allowed  their  own  form  of 
worship,  and  had  churches  assigned  to  them  as  well  as 
ministers.  Colonel  Castle  had  already  been  admitted 
to  the  city  with  his  regiment  which  had  lately  arrived 
fi-om  England,  and  the  letters  forwarded  by  Ware  and 
the  Earl  of  Roscommon  gave  Ormond  to  understand 
that  he  would  soon  receive  reinforcements  from  the 
traitors  on  the  other  side  of  the  channel. 

Yei,  such  was  the  inclination  of  the  Irish  Catholics 
for  peace,  and  their  zeal  for  his  majesty's  service,  that 
they  gladly  availed  themselves  of  an  incident  which 
they  thought  was  calculated  to  promote  it.  Indeed, 
any  honourable  peace  could  not  be  too  dearly  purchased 
by  them,  for  their  treasury  was  empty,  and  the  country 
reduced  to  a  state  approaching  sterility. 

The  truce  with  Ormond  expired  on  the  10th  of  April, 
and  Preston  marched  his  forces  into  the  county  Carlow, 
and  sat  down  before  the  castle,  which  he  took  by  storm. 
It  was  evidently  the  intention  of  the  confederates  to 
march  on  DubUn,  and  repair  the  errors  that  had  been 
committed  there  in  the  last  winter.  Their  object  was 
to  take  the  city  out  of  the  hands  of  Ormond,  and 
prevent  the  landing  of  the  parliamentary  troops.  Indeed 
the  lord  lieutenant  would  freely  have  ceded  it  to  any 
power  save  the  confederates,  and  was  now  begging  the 
intervention  of  the  terrible  Inchiquin,  who  had  an  army 
of  5,000  foot  and  1,500  horse  at  his  command,  with  the 

»  Notwithstanding  the  king's  command,  "  not  to  submit  to  thed  as 
«ny  terms. " 


88  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY 

promise  of  supplies  from  England.  He  had  already 
taken  Dromana,  Cappoquin,  and  Dungarvan,  which  were 
but  feebly,  garrisoned  by  the  confederates.  In  order, 
therefore,  to  oppose  him,  it  was  settled  that  Preston, 
ir.stead  of  carrying  the  war  into  the  quarters  of  the 
lord  lieutenant  in  Leinster,  should  at  once  proceed  to 
Munster  and  act  with  the  troops  under  the  command  of 
Glamorgan.  The  incident  which  favoured  this  design 
M'as  tlie  arrival  of  Dr.  Leyburn,  who,  under  the  assumed 
name  of  Winter  Grant,  had  recently  come  from  the 
court  of  the  English  queen  with  instructions  for  tho 
lord  lieutenant;  it  was,  therefore,  resolved,  on  the  10th 
of  May,  that  the  confederates  should  embrace  the 
opportunity  of  Grant's  coming,  and  renew  their  over- 
tures for  an  accommodation.     ^ 

Lord  Digby,  who  was  at  Leixlip  on  May  the  12th, 
wrote  to  Ormond,  advertising  him  of  Grant's  arrival, 
with  despatches  from  the  queen  of  an  urgent  nature. 
Grant  immediately  afterwards  presented  himself  in 
Dublin,  and  having  consigned  the  despatches  to  the  lord 
lieutenant,  assured  him,  that  the  queen  and  prince  had 
Buch  unbounded  confidence  in  him,  that  not  even  the 
reports  wliich  were  hourly  reaching  them  of  his  negotia- 
tions Avith  the  parliament,  could  shake  or  diminish. 
The  notion  of  delivering  Dublin  to  the  king's  enemies 
was  farthest  from  their  suspicions.  But  Leyburn,  who 
had  so  much  confidence  in  Ormond's  integrity,  was 
soon  undeceived,  for  he  did  not  scruple  to  inform  him 
"  that  if  there  were  necessity,  he  would  rather  give  up 
tlie  city  and  the  places  under  his  command  to  the 
English,  than  to  the  Irish  rebels."* 

Leyburn,  who  aflected  to  believe  that  OrmonJ 
would  never  submit  to  the  parliament,  and  that  a  sue 
cessful  negotiation  might  induce  him  to  join  the 
confederate  troops,  was  now  commissioned  to  procure  a 
cessation  between  the  lord  lieutenant  and  the  Catholics. 
Ormond  freely  consented  to  a  cessation  for  three  weeks, 
well  knowing  that,  ere  that  time  had  elapsed,  the 
additional  reinforcements  and  troops  should  have  arrived 
Jrom  England.  His  object  was  to  gain  time,  and  when 
Leyburn  was  about  proceeding  to  Kilkenny,  ' '  he  desired 

•  Leyb.  Jlem- 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKKNNT.  18D 

to  knovr  from  his  excellency  what  he  should  say  in  ca^se 
it  was  objected  by  the  confederates,  that  he  consented 
to  so  short  a  cessation  only  that  he  might  gain  time  to 
receive  more  forces  from  the  parliament."  To  which 
he  got  an  answer,  "that  he  should  receive  orders  on  the 
way,  if,  on  consideration,  there  was  cause."  Accordingly, 
on  the  next  day,  a  courier  overtook  him  with  a  letter 
from  the  lord  lieutenant,  which  empowered  him  "to 
undertake  to  the  confederates  that  if  a  cessation  should 
be  agreed  upon,  he  would  not  receive  into  the  garrisons 
under  his  command,  forces  from  the  parliament  during 
three  weeks ;  but  ]\L  Leyburn  was  to  use  his  utmost 
endeavours  to  procure  a  cessation  without  that  con- 
dition, or  at  least  that  it  should  be  kept  private ;  which 
last  he  was  to  engage  them  in  before  he  consented  to 
the  said  condition.'* 

But  on  the  arrival  of  Leyburn  in  the  confederate 
quarters, .  he  was  astonished  at  finding  that  they  were 
already  aware  that  Ormond  was  in  treaty  with  the 
parliament,  and  that  he  had  upwards  of  three  thousand 
of  their  men  long  since  admitted  invo  the  city  and 
other  garrisons  where  his  orthodoxy  did  not  exclude 
them  from  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion.  The 
confederates  soon  perceived  that  this  nianoeuvre  on  tlie 
part  of  Ormond  was  of  a  piece  with  his  accustomed 
duplicity,  and  they  forthwith  objected  to  so  short  a 
cessation  ;  but  at  the  same  time  proposed  to  lengthen  it 
to  six  months,  provided  his  lordship  would,  in  the 
meantime,  admit  no  more  of  the  parliament  forces  into 
Ais  garrisons.  But  Herod  and  Pilate  were  now  friends. 
The  extermination  of  the  confederates  was  Ormond's 
ambition,  and  he  positively  refused  to  accede  to  their 
requests. 

Nor  can  it  be  said  that  Rinuccini  exercised  any 
influence  in  this  negotiation  carried  on  by  Leyburn, 
on  behalf  of  Ormond,  with  the  confederates.  He  had 
been  absent  during  that  eventful  period,  and  solely 
occupied  with  ecclesiastical  aifairs  in  Wexford  and 
other  towns.  When  the  final  answer  of  Ormond 
reached  the  supreme  council  resident  in  Kilkenny,  he 
hastened  thither,  only  to  learn  that  Leyburn,  as  well 
as  the  queen,  had  formed  an  exaggerated  notion 
ef  Ormond's    loyalty  and   sincerity.'     The  terms  on 


190  CONFEDERATION    OF    KIJLKENNY. 

Wiiich  the  confederates  insisted,  •were  in  his  ey(n 
utterly  impracticable.  The  propositions  regarding 
religion  and  settlement  of  a  peace,  which  would  enabia 
him  to  act  with  the  truly  loyal  Catholics  against  the 
parliament,  he  heartily  despised ;  and  all  negotiation 
was  put  an  end  to  when  he  declared  that  their  proposals 
were  fitter  to  be  treated  on  in  a  league  offensive  and 
defensive,  between  neighbouring  princes,  than  between 
his  majesty's  governor  of  a  kingdom,  and  his  subjects 
of  the  same,  declined  from  their  obedience."* 

It  has  been  asserted,  though  no  mention  of  the  fact 
occurs  in  Rinuccini's  despatches,  that  Ormond  was  at 
this  time  carrying  on  a  negotiation  with  O'Neill,  on 
whose  honour  he  placed  great  reliance.  But  it  is 
difficult  to  understand  how  this  could  have  been  the 
case,  as  there  was  no  provision  made  for  the  restoration 
of  the  forfeited  lands  in  Ulster :  moreover,  the  Ulster 
general  had  too  much  reason  to  dread  Preston,  to  place 
himself,  as  it  were,  between  two  fires,  as  he  must  have 
done  had  he  marched  into  Leinster,  and  taken  up  a 
position  between  Preston  and  the  city.  However  the 
case  may  be,  Kinuccini  is  charged  with  having  detained 
the  Ulster  general's  nephew  at  Kilkenny,  when  he  was 
sent  by  Owen  Roe  to  persuade  the  council  to  an 
accommodation,  f 

Every  expedient  had  now  been  tried  which  was  calcu- 
lated to  preserve  Ireland  from  the  English  rebels ;  but 
Ormond  was  in  their  confidence,  and  clearly  saw  that 
the  king's  circumstances  were  irretrievable.  For  awhile 
it  had  been  argued  that  the  advent  of  the  Queen  and 
Prince  of  Wales  might  have  created  a  salutary  re- 
action, and  brought  about  a  union  of  parties,  which 
n^ould  throw  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  parlia- 
snentarians.  But  that  hope  was  soon  abandoned.  The 
capital  M'as  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Ormond  was, 
in  reality,  at  their  mercy ;  and  it  is  stated,  on  the  autho- 
rity of  many,  that  he  sought  to  dissuade  the  queen  from 
Buch  an  enterprise,  if  she  ever  really  meditated  it, 
urging  that  the  step  would  render  her  husband's  ene- 
mies still  more  implacable. 

Ail  hope  of  taking  Dublin  out  of  Ormond's  hands  Imd 

•  Carta.  t  rwiip.  lra» 


CONcEDERATION    OF  KILKENNY.  ISl 

COW  vanished.  O'Neill  asserted  that  fifteen  days  -would 
have  been  sufficient  to  seize  it ;  but  tlie  reluctance  of 
the  people  of  Leinster  to  receive  his  army,  and  the  want 
of  money  and  provisions,  determined  liiin  to  make  no 
attempt.  Fifty  thousand  dollars,  forwarded  by  tlie  Holy 
See  for  the  confederate  armies,  were  still  on  the  coast  of 
France.  The  parliamentary  cruisers  stood  in  the  way, 
and  these  succours,  so  desirable  at  this  moment,  awaited 
a  fa.vourable  opportunity  of  being  brought  to  their  desti . 
nation. 

In  the  beginning  of  June,  the  supreme  council  pro. 
ceeded  into  Munster,  and  made  their  head  quarters  a*i 
Clonmel.  Inchiquin  was  dealing  death  and  devastation 
along  the  sea  coast,  almost  into  the  county  Cork.  The 
jealousies  of  the  confederate  generals  had  given  him 
time  and  opportunity  to  place  one-half  the  province 
under  contribution.  Glamorgan  awaited  orders  to  act, 
as  well  as  money  to  pay  Ms  troops ;  and  a  great  portion 
of  the  army  reluctantly  obeyed  a  general  who  had  su- 
perseded Lord  Muskerry.  Several  regiments  mutinied, 
demanding  that  he  should  be  re-appointed,  whilst  others 
tlireatened  to  take  his  life.  At  the  very  doors  of  the 
council-chamber  these  clamours  were  kept  up,  till,  on 
the  12th  of  the  month,  as  they  were  debating  on  the 
best  way  of  suppressing  the  insubordination,  Muskerry 
went  out,  and  getting  on  horseback,  as  if  he  were  going 
to  take  the  air,  proceeded  to  the  camp ;  in  an  hour's 
time  the  whole  of  the  army  declared  for  him,  and  turned 
Glamorgan  out  of  the  command.  The  next  day  he  en- 
tered Clonmel,  attended  by  a  guard,  and  Glamorgan, 
by  way  of  reparation  to  his  honour,  was  reinstated  for  a 
few  days,  and  then  ceded  the  command  to  Muskerry.  The 
latter  immediately  resigned  in  favour  of  Lord  TaafFe,  a 
creature  of  Ormond,  witlwut  any  character  for  military 
achievements. 

Thus  was  Muskerry  enabled  to  give  his  whole  atten- 
tion to  political  affairs  in  the  supreme  council ;  and  the 
troops  in  Munster  were  completely  at  the  beck  of  his  de- 
pendant, who  was  in  the  interest  of  the  unsteady  Pres- 
ton and  the  faithless  Ormond.  The  nuncio  soon  after, 
wards  proceeded  into  the  province  of  Connaught,  tt 
concert  with  Owen  Roe  whatever  measures  were  most 
aecessary  against  the  perils  which  they  knew  must  foU 


192  CONFEDEUATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

low  the  surrender  of  Dublin.  Nor  had  they  long  to  w&\% 
for  that  base  and  perfidious  act,  which  was,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  cause  of  the  death  of  the  unfortunate, 
Charles ;  and,  what  is  far  more  to  be  lamented,  the  un- 
deniable cause  of  all  those  horrors  which  subsequently 
came  upon  unhappy  Ireland.  But  Ormond,  in  the  spirit 
of  a  well-known  distich,  would  rather  see  the  loyal  and 
faithful  Catholics  exterminated  by  the  swords  of  the 
Puritans,  than  admitted  to  hold  the  city  against  those 
men  whom  he  subsequently  pronounced  to  have  been 
the  murderers  of  the  king's  person,  usurpers  of  his 
rights,  and  destroyers  of  the  Irish  nation ;  by  whom 
the  nobility  and  gentry  of  it  were  massacred  at  home, 
and  led  into  slavery  or  driven  into  beggary  abroad."* 

And  yet  this  very  man  had  already  entered  into  terms 
with  the  ruthless  faction,  which  he  thus  characterized ; 
for,  on  the  7th  of  June,  their  commissioners  came  into 
the  bay  of  Dublin  with  600  horse  and  1,400  foot.  At 
this  moment,  Ormond  was  well  awai-e  that  the  king's 
person  liad  been  sold  to  the  parliament  by  tbe  Scotch, 
md  still  he  did  not  hesitate  to  sign  and  conclude  a  treaty 
with  his  enemies  on  the  19th,  by  which  he  obliged  him- 
self to  surrender  the  sword  on  the  28th  of  tlie  following 
month,  or  sooner,  upon  four  days'  notice.  An  incident, 
which  is  worthy  of  being  recorded,  occurred  at  the 
time.  Smith,  who  was  then  lord  mayor,  and  at  the 
venerable  age  of  four  score  years,  waited  on  Ormond, 
when  he  heard  that  he  was  about  to  deliver  the  city  into 
/the  hands  of  the  parliamentarians,  and  sternly  informed 
/  him  that  he  held  the  king's  sword,  and  would  never  re- 
I  sign  it  to  rebels.  Whereon  Ormond  checked  him, 
I  and  ordered  him  to  withdraw.  The  patriotic  mayor  was 
subsequently  sent  for,  and  Ormond,  never  at  a  loss  for 
gtratagera,  read  a  letter  from  the  king,  artfully  suppress- 
ing the  date  and  circumstances  under  which  it  was  writ- 
ten, and  thus  imposed  on  the  credulity  of  the  old  man 
who  would  have  died  to  sustain  his  country  and  sove 
reign. 

Digby  and  Preston  remonstrated  in  vain.  The  latte\ 
was  ready  to  make  a  junction  with  the  forces  in  Munstei 
under  Taaffe,  and  hold  tne  city  against  the  invaders; 

*  Ci^ite's  Ortu.  Appendix,  p.  13. 


e:C^!!7KT>^nXT£GVt  OF  KILKENNY.  ISS 

but  all  to  no  purpose.  Ormond  declined  ah  overtures 
which  might  have  averted  the  pending  destruction; 
"because,  forsooth,  he  held  it  by  no  means  safe."  Hfe 
was  greedy  of  gain,  and  knew  that  he  could  not  expect 
anything  from  the  king,  who  was  now  in  imminent  dan- 
ger of  his  life.  He  could  not  serve  two  masters,  and 
therefore  bowed  to  mammon.  On  the  16th  of  July,  he 
got  notice  to  remove  with  his  family  from  the  castle,  and 
deliver  the  regalia  within  four  days  ;  but,  as  the  messen- 
y  ger,  who  was  commissioned  to  give  him  £5,000  for  liis 
treachery,  had  not  yet  arrived,  he  did  not  depart  for 
a  few  days.  The  messenger  finally  came,  and  having 
got  his  reward,  and  a  promise  from  tlie  parliament  of 
/  £2,000  per  annum,  he  sailed  from  the  city  on  the  28th 
of  July. 

It  is  recorded  of  him  that  he  indulged  in  a  histrionic 
performance  before  the  Irish  coast  had  "  failed  his  sight," 
hkening  himself  to  Hannibal  when  recalled  to  Carthage, 
and  predicting  to  those  around  him  that  he  would  one 
day  return  in  power  to  that  city  whicli  he  had  basely 
and  treacherously  surrendered  ;  but,  alas !  ere  his  ship 
had  reached  the  raid  channel,  Jones,  with  his  myrmidons, 
were  in  Dublin,  and  the  fate  of  Ireland  was  sealed.  Yet' 
this  baseness  of  Ormond  did  not  open  the  eyes  of  his 
^  dupes  and  adherents.  They  were  foscinated  by  him  ;_ 
they  hoped  in  him  and  swore  by  him.  Nor  did  his  kins- 
man, Muskerry,  discover  the  duphcity  and  heartlessness 
of  the  viceroy  till,  when  stretched  in  the  last  agonies  on 
his  death-bed,  he  declared  to  those  about  him  that  "  the 
heaviest  fear  that  possessed,  his  soul,  then  going  into 
^^  eternity,  was  his  having  confided  so  much  in  his  grace, 
who  had  deceived  them  all,  and  ruined  his  poor  country 
and  countrymen."  * 

Indignation  and  alarm  seized  the  minds  of  the  people 
when  the  news  of  Ormond's  conduct  travelled  through 
the  land.  Hitherto  they  had  warred  and  struggled  fbr 
their  relj^ion,  but  now,  M-hen  the  swords  of  the  parlia- 
mentarians  were  at  their  throats,  they  began  to  learn 
that  they  were  to  fight  for  their  very  exi3^e"nce. 

In  vain  was  Clanricarde  importuned  to  take  his  place 
iu  their  ranks.     His  influence  was  great,  but  his  sympa- 

*  Unkin  I  Deserter. 


IM  CONFKDERATION   OF   KILKENNY. 

thy  with  Ormond  was  greater  still.  He  did  not  hesitatt 
to  impute  to  the  confederates  the  crime  which  any  un- 
prejudiced man  must  have  thrown  on  the  lord  lieute- 
nant, and  he  determined  to  preserve  a  strict  neutrality. 
Owing  to  the  imbecility  of  the  gasconading  Taaffe, 
who  had  command  of  the  Munster  forces,  Inchiquin, 
with  a  small  army,  thinned  by  disease,  was  destroying 
by  fire  whatever  he  could  not  reach  with  the  sword. 
Owen  Koe  was  in  the  heart  of  Connaught,  without 
Money ;  and  such  was  the  feeling  created  by  Muskerry 
against  him  in  the  south,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Mun- 
ster would  more  willingly  have  received  the  troops  of 

^  the  grand  seignor  into  their  province  than  those  he  com- 
manded.* 

An  effort,  however,  was  to  be  made  to  recover  the  ca- 
pital, and  the  faction  who  had  adhered  to  Ormond  de- 
clared that  it  should  be  regained  with  as  much  ease  as  it 
Chad  been  lost.  The  undertaking  was  committed  to  the 
hasty  and  rash  Preston,  who  fancied  that  he  would  eclipse 
the  military  genius  of  his  rival  by  capturing  Dublin. 
Nor  could  the  success  of  his  enterprise  be  separated  from 
the  anticipation  of  O'Neill's  destruction.  Muskerry 
urged  him  to  advance  without  delay  on  the  city,  and 
promised  that  he  should  be  immediately  joined  by  the 
troops  under  Taafie,  and  that  their  combined  forces 
should  then  proceed  toattack  O'Neill, — the  grand  obstacle 
to  the  project  which  they  now  contemplated,  the  recall 
of  Ormond. 

Jones  had  scarcely  established  himself  in  Dublin,  when 
he  sent  orders  to  the  north  to  Coote  and  Conway  to  put 
their  troops  in  motion,  and  join  him  in  Leinster.  The 
forces  under  his  command  did  not  amount  to  more  than 

\  4,000  foot,  two  regiments  of  horse,  with  two  demi-cul- 
verins,  "one  saker,  and  four  sakaruts."  He  marched 
from  Dublin  on  the  1st  of  August,  and  took  up  his  quar- 
i*ers  in  the  village  of  Swords.  On  the  next  day  he  con- 
tinued his  march  through  Hollywood  to  the  Naul,  and 
thence  to  Garretstown,  where  he  got  notice  that  the 
fortres  from  the  north  were  en  route  to  join  him.  On  the 
4th  he  pitched  his  camp  on  the  hill  of  Skreene,  where  he 
was  met  by  Colonel  Moore  with  the  Dundalk  troops,  an-^ 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY, 

soon  aftervrardsby  Titchbourne,  with  those  of  Drogheda, 
and  Conway,  with  a  party  of  the  old  British,— making  al- 
together 700  horse  and  12,000  foot,  with  two  pieces  of 
ordnance. 

Here  they  held  a  council  of  war,  and  whilst  they  were 
debating,  Cadogan  and  Graham  came  from  Trim  to  in- 
form them  that  Preston  had  on  that  morning  raised  his 
camp,  and  marched  with  his  entire  force,  consisting  of 
7,000  foot  and  1,000  horse,  to  a  place  called  Portlester, 
five  miles  west  of  Trim.  On  the  same  day  Jones  put  his 
troops  in  motion,  and  advanced  to  the  hill  of  Tara,  where 
he  reviewed  the  army,  and  on  the  next  day  proceeded  to 
Skurlockstown,  within  a  mile  of  Trim,  where  he  quar- 
tered for  the  night. 

Next  day  he  resumed  his  march  and  advanced  on 
Trimleston,  where  Preston  had  left  a  feeble  garrison, 
and  the  parliamentarian  general  having  surrounded  it  in 
hopes  of  drawing  Preston  to  a  fight,  sent  out  a  party  of 
fifty  horse  to  ascertain  his  movements.  They  soon 
brought  back  word  that  the  confederate  general  had 
broken  up  his  camp  at  an  early  hour,  and  was  crossing 
the  country  towards  Kilcock,  with  the  intention  of  throw- 
ing himself  between  Dublin  and  Jones's  army. 

The  march  was  immediately  sounded,  and  before  the 
parliamentarian  columns  crossed  the  Boyne,  the  garrison 
of  Trimleston  surrendered.  Great  was  their  joy,  and 
on  they  went  singing  hymns  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
till  they  reached  Lynch'fe  Knock.  *  Preston  was 
strongly  fortified  on  Dungan  Hill,  not  more  than  a  mile 
from  their  position.  This  was  on  the  8th  of  August, 
and  the  sanguine  hopes  of  Preston  and  the  adherents  of 


•  Lynch's  Knock,  with  its  ruined  castle,  may  be  seen  within  the 
beautiful  demesne  of  Suramerhill .  The  property  was  given  some  tune 
after  the  action  here  narrated  to  the  brother  of  Colonel  Jones,  who 
was  appointed  Bishop  of  Meath.  There  are  some  traditionary  stories 
concerning  the  battle  preserved  in  the  neighbourhood ;  and  the  pea- 
suntry  point  out  a  grave  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  which  they  call  Col- 
kitto  s  burial-place.  It  is  evidently  that  of  some  distinjjuished  man  of 
^  Preston's  army,  but  not  of  the  chivalrous  Alexander.  Were  it  not  for  a 
neat  little  volume,  published  by  l>r.  Butler,  Protestant  rector  of  Trim, 
it  might  be  difficult  to  identify  the  locality,  which  is  in  the  townland  of 
3>rumlargin.  Trimleston  Castle  is  a  most  interesting  ruin,  aort 
might  be  easily  restored,  were  such  the  wish  of  its  lord. 


KtnMrr-tri-^iiirmr-f 


c 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

Ormond,  who  calculated  on  triumph,  were  soon  to  be 
completely  frustrated.  A  steady  general,  such  as 
O'Neill,  would  have  harassed  the  parliamentary  troops ; 
but  Preston  was  the  Marcellus,  choleric  and  n)ercurial, 
and  the  Fabius  was  not  where  he  should  have  been. 

Jones  advanced  in  full  force  to  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
but  Preston's  guns  being  badly  pointed,  did  little  execu- 
tion. The  action  commenced  at  ten  o'clock,  a.m., 
and  at  twelve,  when  the  confederate  general  grew  weary 
of  skirmishing,  he  determined  to  charge  down  the  hill 
and  overwhelm  the  phalanxes  that  were  forming  at  its 
base.  His  infantry  were  met  with  undaunted  bravery, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  exertions  of  Alexander  Mae 
Donnell,  surnamed  Colkitto,  were  thrown  into  confusion, 
and  driven  back  to  their  former  position.  Again  and 
again  did  they  come  to  the  charge,  and  as  often  were  they 
broken.  Preston's  cavalry,  which  was  badly  placed,  their 
horses  being  fetlock-deep  in  the  raarsliy  ground,  spurred 
to  protect  the  foot,  but  they  were  encountered  by  Jones's 
cavalry,  when  the  whole  force  was  driven  into  an  adjacent 
bog.  They  were  now  surrounded  by  the  entire  strength 
of  Jones,  Moore,  Conway,  and  Titchbourne,  and  a  wither- 
ing fire  from  their  guns  and  musketry,  literally  mowed 
down  the  devoted  men  to  whom  no  quarter  was  given. 
With  a  desperate  effort  some  of  the  confederate  foot 
forced  their  way  out  of  the  bog,  but  they  were  hacked 
to  pieces  by  Jones's  dragoons ;  and  Preston,  seeing  all 
hope  vanished,  fled  precipitately  from  tlie  scene  of 
slaughter,  leaving  his  carriage  and  papers  in  the  hands  of 
the  enemy.  On  the  field  and  about  the  hill  were 
reckoned  of  the  confederates  killed  about  5,470,  of 
whom  400  were  the  "redshanks"  belonging  to  the  brave 
Mac  Donnell  of  the  Isles. 

In  his  retreat,  followed  by  about  five  hundred  foot, 
the  wreck  of  liis  army,  Preston  burned  Naas,  Harristown, 
and  Moyglare.  He  did  not  even  make  an  effort  to  re- 
cover his  four  guns,  "each  carrying  a  twelve-pound 
shot,"  and  sixty -four  fair  oxen,  which  attended  his 
train.  The  parliamentarians  had  only  twenty  killed 
in  the  action,  and  very  few  wounded.  Immediately 
afterwards  Jones  retired  to  Dublin  with  his  prisoners, 
colours,  and  baggage ;  "  nor  would  he  allow  the  standards 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


197 


V 


taken  from  the  confederates  to  be  brought  in  triumph 

to   the  city,  for  that  would  be  attributing  to  man  the 

■Nvork  which  was  due  to  the  Lord  alone."* 

On  his  arrival  in  the  city  he  was  met  with  good  news 
from  the  parhament;  they  had  forwarded  him  £1,500  for 
the  temporary  sustenance  of  his  forces,  and  £1,000  as  a 
reward  of  his  good  services  against  the  rebels. 

Disastrous  as  was  this  blow,  the  confederates  did  not 
despair ;  many  a  man,  who  had  hitherto  shrunk  from 
the  contest,  was  now  ready  to  gird  on  the  sword ;  but  if 
anything  could  make  us  look  with  contempt  on  the  fol- 
lowers of  Ormond  who  had  calculated  upon  signal  sue- 
cess,  it  is  the  expression  of  obsequious  respect  with 
which  they  now  turned  to  Owen  Roe.  Indeed  he  had  had 
melancholy  proof  of  his  rival's  inferiority,  and  bitterly 

eniarked,  when  the  news  of  Preston's  defeat  reached  him, 
that  he  acted  without  judgment,  and  needlessly  sacri- 
ficed his  troops.  But  all  hope  was  not  lost  while  O'Neill 
had  an  army ;  nor  has  the  poet  exaggerated  the  esteem 
in  which  the  descendant  of  a  hundred  kings  was  held  at 
tliis  moment  by  his  countrymen. f  Yet,  sad  it  is  to  be 
obliged  to  say  that  the  destruction  of  Preston's  army 
was  the  salvation  of  O'Neill's.  Yes,  the  Fabius  of  Ireland 
still  lived,  and  had  he  commanded  at  Dungan's-hill,  the 
"red  hand"  must  have  floated  from  the  Castle  of 
Dublin. 

The  craven-hearted  crew  who  had  hitherto  affected 
to  despise  him,  now  sent  to  implore  his  protection  and 
aid.  The  army  of  Leinster  was  annihilated ;  tTiey  liadi 
no  longer  a  single  garrison  between  Dublin  and  Kilkenny, 
and  well  might  they  tremble  for  their  safety.  A  few 
months  before  Muskerry  and  the  Butlers  were  loud  in 
tlieir  denunciations  of  O'Neill.  The  cruelty  and  the  ra- 
pacity of  his  soldiers  were  their  constant  theme ;  and 
wlien  a  few  women  had  been  plundered  in  the  vicinity  of 
Kilkenny  by  some  marauders,  they  came  to  the  council- 
Xoom  to  represent  their  grievances  to  Muskerry,  who 
ordered  them  to  proceed  to  the  residence  of  the  nuncio. 


•  Irish  Tracts,  R.  T).  S. 

t  "  Sagest  in  the  council  was  he,  kindest  in  the  hall, 
Sure  we  never  won  a  battle — "twas  Owen  won  them  all." 

Spirit  of  the  Nation,  4to  ed.  p.  3. 


( 


CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY. 

ana  laform  him  of  the  unbridled  licentiousness  of  hia 
favourite  general.  But  all  this  was  now  forgotten  in  their 
hour  of  need.  Flushed  with  victory,  Jones  was  once  more 
in  the  field,  and  no  one  knew  at  what  moment  he  would 
be  thundering  at  the  gates  of  Kilkenny,  In  this  state 
of  things  the  Bishop  of  Ferns  was  despatched  to  Owen 
■Roe,  who  was  about  to  besiege  the  Castle  of  Enniskillen 
and  force  his  way  into  the  heart  of  Ulster,  and  solicited 
him  to  advance  immediately  and  intercept  Jones.  The 
suggestion  was  cheerfully  adopted,  and  the  Ulster  ge- 
neral, at  the  head  of  12,000  men,  came  with  lightning 
speed  and  pitched  his  camp  on  the  ground  where  Preston 
had  been  defeated.  It  was  the  salvation  of  the  confe- 
derates ;  for,  as  Rinuccini  remarks,  the  Fabius  of  his 
country,  in  the  midst  of  bogs  and  marshes,  kept  Jones  in 
such  check  by  the  rapidity  of  his  movements,  that  for 
four  entire  months  he  was  obliged  to  confine  himself  to 
his  quarters,  nor  dared  he  meet  the  invincible  chieftain.* 
Fearing  a  surprise  which  might  utterly  destroy  him, 
Jones  retired  into  Dublin,  and  Owen  Roe's  light  troops 
advanced  even  as  far  as  Castleknock,  getting  plunder 
and  provisions  go  leor,  and  reducing  the  English  within 
the  city  to  the  direst  distress,  f 

Never  was  there  a  more  unfortunate  appointment  than 
that  of  Taaffe  to  the  command  of  the  Munster  troops. 
He  was  totally  unfit  for  it,  and  in  every  respect  inferior 
to  Preston.  When  Glamorgan,  who  was  really  a  chival- 
rous man,  was  removed  from  the  command,  he  consigned 
a  fine  army  to  Taaife,  consisting  of  12,000  foot  and  800 
horse,  with  an  excellent  park  of  artillery.  He  was 
keeping  up  a  correspondence  with  Ormond,  who  had 
gone  to  France  and  remamed  utterly  inactive,  whilst 
Inchiquin  was  destroying  every  thing  about  him.  But 
he  was  doing  the  work  of  Ormond,  who  meditated  com- 
ing back  at  no  distant  period,  and  calculated  on  finding 
Taafie's  troops  ready  to  march  with  hiiu  and  second  his 
views. 

Inchiq^uin,  after  having  put  the  counties  of  Limerick 
and  Clare  under  contribution,  entered  Tipperary  on  tlie 
3rd  of  September.  He  had  no  artillery  with  him,  and 
his  soldiers   had  no   more   provisions  than  they  could 

*  Rinuccini,  336.  t  O'Neill's  Journal,  in  the  Desdd.  Ciu%  Hib. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  J 'J.7 

carry  in  their  haversacks.  He  stormed  ten  or  twelve 
small  castles,  and  then  crossed  the  river  Suir  near  Cahir, 
a  fortress  deemed  impregnable  by  the  English  as  well  as 
Irish  troops.  But  an  accident  led  to  the  capture  of  it. 
One  of  Inchiquin's  foragers  had  been  hurt  under  its  Myalls, 
and  was  permitted,  at  his  own  request,  to  send  for  a  sur- 
geon to  dress  his  wounds.  One  Hippsley,  an  ingenious 
man,  who  knew  something  of  the  healing  art,  assumed  a 
disguise,  and  was  admitted  to  the  interior  of  the  for- 
tress, where  the  wounded  man  lay.  But,  being  better 
skilled  in  the  science  of  fortification  than  surgery,  he  ob- 
served a  point  in  the  outward  bawn  where  the  castle  was 
assaultable,  and  when  he  returned  reported  the  fact.  It 
was  thereon  agreed  tliat  he  should  lead  an  attack  ;  and 
the  pusillanimity  of  the  Munster  guards  was  such  that, 
on  seeing  the  outworks  and  some  turrets  taken,  the 
governor  appointed  by  Taaffe  surrendered  the  whole 
place  in  a  few  hours  after.  Thus  was  reduced  a  castle 
which,  in  1599,  held  out  for  two  months  against  the 
Earl  of  Essex  and  an  army  of  20,000  men — thus  was  the 
most  important  fortress  in  all  Munster  lost,  by  the  want 
of  discrimination  in  the  hot-headed  fool  who  now  was  to 
oppose  Inchiquin.  Had  there  been  at  the  time  a  well- 
organized  system  of  military  affiiirs  in  Ireland,  he 
should  have  been  shot,  to  prevent  greater  disasters. 

Inchiquin,  having  fortified  himself  in  Grthir,  began  to 
make  continual  incursions  into  the  surrounding  country. 
His  soldiers,  who  a  short  time  before  had  nothing  but  roots 
to  subsist  on,  were  now  abundantly  supplied  with  every 
necessary ;    the  finest   county  in   Ireland   lay  open   to 
them  ;  and  in  a  very  short  time  they  destroyed  £20,000 
worth  of  corn.     It  may  not  have  been  tlie  case — yet  it 
Q'would    appear  that  there   was  a  bloody  collusion  be- 
/  tween  the  arrogant  TaafFe  and  the  inhuman  Inchiquin. 
(    Whenever  the  latter  advanced,  the  former  fled ;  nor  did 
\Me  fire  a  shot  while  the  ferocious  Murrogh  was  butcher- 
ing the  peasantry,  and  burning  their  crops. 

There  is  not  on  record  a  more  appalling  tragedy  than 
that  of  Cashe],  and  the  guilt  is  to  be  thrown  on  Taafie 
as  well  as  Inchiquin.  Towards  the  end  of  September, 
when  the  confederate  general  heard  of  his  approach,  he 
fled,  leaving  a  feeble  garrison  in  the  city  of  King  Cor- 
mac.     Soon  after,  Inchiquin  sat  down  before  its  ^jates. 


'Z\)\)  CONFEDKKATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

and  sent  to  tlie  municipal  authorities,  to  state,  that  if  be 
did  not  get  £3,000  and  a  month's  pay  for  his  troops,  he 
would  take  the  place  by  storm.  The  messenger  brought 
back  word,  that  the  autliorities  would  not  accept  his 
terms  ;  Inchiquin  opened  a  fire  on  the  crumbling 
wall,  and  then  dashed  into  the  town.  Short  was  the 
struggle,  but,  oh  !  it  was  revolting  and  bloody.  The  feeble 
garrison  laid  down  their  arms,  and  were  butchered  in 
cold  blood.  Those  who  remained  in  their  houses  were 
dragged  out  by  Murrogh's  soldiers,  and  basely  mur- 
dered at  their  own  doors.  In  the  midst  of  the  carnage 
a  multitude  fled  to  the  cathedral  on  the  rock.  As  they 
hurried  to  the  sanctuary,  their  feet  plashed  in  the  blood 
of  their  relatives  and  friends ;  but  they  thought  that  th? 
sanctity  of  the  place  might  protect  them,  and  they 
grouped  aromid  the  altars  and  concealed  themselves  in 
the  crypts.  On  came  the  savage  Inchiquin  :  supplica- 
tions and  cries  for  mercy  were  unavailing :  the  banditti 
who  followed  at  his  heels  took  possession  of  the  doors 
and  windows  ;  volley  after  volley  was  poured  into  the 
church  ;  and  when  the  ringing  of  the  musketry  and  the 
groans  of  agony  had  ceased,  in  went  the  murderers,  and 
dragged  forth  from  their  hiding-places  the  few  who 
survived.  The  old  man  stricken  in  years  was  hacked  to 
piec;es  on  the  floor :  the  tender  girl  and  the  venerable 
/  matron  shared  the  same  fate.  Twenty  priests,  who 
were  concealed  under  the  altars,  were  pierced  by  the 
pikes  of  these  savages,  and  when  the  work  of  slaughter 
was  done  they  fired  the  town.  Three  thousand  human 
.  beings  had  ceased  to  live,  and  this  bloody  deed  was  done 
by  an  Irishman  who  had  been  brought  up  in  the  ''school 
.  of  wards,"  and  had  every  germ  of  humanity  and  nation- 
y/^  ality  plucked  from  his  heart  by  the  anti-popish  educa- 
tion which  he  received. 

Oh  1  if-^on  that  fatal  night  when  the  cruel  Murrogh 
ret'jed.  i,dmQ  wayfarer,  attracted  by  the  fitful  glare  'of 
the  b'lrning  roof-tree  half  quenched  in  blood,  had 
entered  the  city,  he  must  have  concluded  that  it  had 
been  visited,  not  by  the  wrath  of  man,  but  that  of  God,' 
for  some  dire  outrage  against  his  majesty. 

On  went  this  destroying  demon,  unopposed  by  TaafFe. 
Ere  he  reached  Fethard,  the  townspeople  had  heard 
of  the  butchering  in  Cashel :    they  dared  not  resist. 


CONFEPERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


201 


and  they  surrendered  at  discretion.  Clonmel  was  yet 
to  be  taken — but  there  was  within  its  walls  as  gallant  a 
heart  as  ever  throbbed  beneath  the  plaid — that  man 
was  Alexander  Mac  Donnell  of  the  Isles.  lie  had 
escaped  from  the  slaughter  at  Dungan-hill,  and  with  a 
single  regiment  of  his  followers,  he  closed  the  gates,  and 
dared  Inchiquin  to  the  contest.  But  "  Murrogh  of  the 
burnings,"  well  knowing  the  stubborn  foe  he  had  to  deal 
with,  retired  from  before  the  town.  Oh  I  shame  and 
degradation.  This  gallant  chieftain,  with  a  small  body 
of  troops,  was  able  to  scare  away  Murrogh,  whilst  the 
Quixotic  Connaught  general  was  retreating  with  7,000 
men.  But  Inchiquin  was  glutted  with  blood,  and 
retired  to  Cahir ;  and  Taaflfe  continued  his  march  into 
the  county  Cork. 

The  parliament  was  well  satisfied  with  the  achieve- 
ments of  their  proselyte ;  and  as  he  had  complained  that 
Lord  Lisle  was  about  to  supplant  him  in  the  presidency 
of  Munster,  they  dreaded  to  displease  him,  and  thereon 
refused  to  renew  Lord  Lisle's  commission.  Inchiquin 
was,  therefore,  proclaimed  president,  and  he  hud  scarce 
retired  from  Clonmel,  when  he  received  large  supplies 
of  men  and  money  from  England.* 

It  was  a  moment  of  dreadful  suspense  for  the  con- 
federates. Jones  was  cooped  up  in  Dublin  by  the 
watchful  vigilance  of  O'Neill,  who  was  encamped  at 
Trim.  But  they  knew  not  the  hour  when  Inchiquin 
would  take  the  field  again  and  march  straight  upon 
Kilkenny. 

Taatfe  was  the  only  hope  they  had  in  Munster,  and 
now  that  the  time  for  the  next  general  assembly  was 
fast  approaching,  that  general  received  orders  towards 
the  njiddle  of  October,  to  watch  Inchiquin's  movements, 
and  if  possible  to  destroy  his  army.  It  was  warmly 
a!gued  in  the  council  at  Kilkenny,  that  the  season  was 
tec  far  advanced  to  resume  hostilities,  but  the  party 
wh^ch  was  ever  doubting  the  sincerity  of  Ormond's 
adherents,  prevailed,  and  orders  were  immediately 
is;  v-td,  commanding  Taaffe  to  attack  Inchiquin  if  any 
ffivourable  opportunity  presented  itself.  Early  in 
November    the    latter    took    the  field.     He  advanced 


Ludlow's  Mem. 


202 


COVFKDERATION    OF    KILICENNV 


towards  Mallow,  and  lay  encamped  there  till  the  12th 
of  the  month.  Taaffe  had  no  alternative,  and  he 
determined  to  fight-  His  army  consisted  of  6,000  foot 
and  1,200  horse.  Inchiquin's  troops  did  not  amount  tu 
more  than  5,000  foot  and  1,200  horse,  with  an  excellent 
train  of  artillery.  Taaffe  quitted  his  quarters  at 
Kanturk,  and  on  the  12th,  eflcamped  on  tlie  hill  of 
Knockninoss,  commonly  called  Kuock-na-gaoU,  or 
Englishman's  Hill,  a  few  miles  west  of  Mallow.  There 
was  an  old  prophecy  connected  witli  this  spot  Avhich 
induced  him  to  pitch  his  camp  on  it.  The  prophecy 
ran,  that  the  representative  of  the  Mac  Donagh  should 
win  a  battle  there  and  recover  his  patrimony.  Now  it  so 
liappened  that  Taaffe's  grandfather  had  got  all  the 
possessions  of  the  Mac  Donaghs  "as  the  reward  of  his 
services  against  the  rebels  in  the  late  wars,"  and  by  a 
strange  sort  of  logic,  he  concluded  that  he  was  the 
representative  of  the  clan  Mac  Donagh  in  a  far  more 
agreeable  sense  than  that  of  lineage.  The  vain  man 
regarded  this  as  the  prestige  of  victory,  and  therefore 
strongly  entrenched  himself  on  the  hill.  He  had  with 
him  Lieutenant-General  Purcelland  the  brave  Colkitto: 
irrespective  of  the  prophecy,  his  position  was  a  good 
one,  and  a  better  general  would  have  held  it  against 
twice  the  number  which  Inchiquin  brought  into  action. 
Inchiquin  was  but  little  disposed  to  risk  a  battle  under 
such  disadvantages;  but,  at  the  instance  of  Colonel 
Semple  and  some  other  officers  recently  come  from 
England,  he  was  prevailed  on  to  march  against  the 
confederates.  Both  armies  were  in  view  of  each  other 
at  one  o'clock  on  the  13th.  Inchiquin  seeing  the 
danger  of  attacking  his  enemy  on  the  hill,  encamped 
at  a  place  called  Garryduff,  and  sent  this  characteristic 
note  to  Taaffe  : — 


*' My  Lord — There  is  a  very  fair  piece  of  ground 
(betwixt  your  lordship's  army  and  ours,  on  this  side  the 
brook,  whither  if  you  please  to  advance,  we  will  do 
the  like.  We  do  not  so  much  doubt  the  gallantry  of 
70ur  resolution,  as  to  doubt  you  will  not  come ;  but  do 
give  you  this  notice  to  the  end,  you  may  see  we  do 
stand  upon  no  advantage  of  ground,  and  are  willing  to 
dispute  our  quarrel  upon  indifferent  terms,  bein^-  con 


CONFEDERATION   01;    KILKEXKY. 


2U3 


fident  that  the  justness  of  our  cause  will  be,  this  daj, 
made  manifest  by  the  Lord,  and  that  your  lordsliip's 
judgment  will  be  rectified  concerning  your  lordship's 
humble  servant, 

*'Inchiquin. 

"  Ganyduff,  Nov.  13th,  1647." 

As  no  answer  was  sent  to  this  communication, 
Inchiquin  determined  to  advance  and  take  a  position 
on  the  right  of  the  hill,  where  he  brought  up  his  guns 
and  opened  a  heavy  fire  on  3,000  Scotch  and  Irish, 
commanded  by  Mac  Donnell,  and  two  regiments  of 
horse,  led  by  Purcell ;  Taaflfe  himself  being  on  the 
left  with  4,000  infantry  and  two  regiments  of  cavalry 
as  a  reserve.  The  troops  under  Mac  Donnell,  after  a 
few  voUies,  dashed  impetuously  down  the  slopes,  and 
throwing  away  their  muskets,  slew  the  artillerymen 
with  their  broad  swords,  and  seized  the  guns,  and  then 
attacked  the  left  of  Inchiquin's  position,  which  they 
chased  oflf  the  field  for  a  distance  of  three  miles,  killing 
2,000  of  them  while  they  lost  but  five.  Lord  Castle- 
connell's  regiment  now  advanced  from  its  position  on 
the  hill  to  attack  Inchiquin  in  front,  but  they  were  so 
vigorously  met  by  the  latter,  that  after  a  few  voUies 
they  broke  and  fled,  and  were  immediately  followed  by 
the  rest  of  the  Munster  troops.  In  vain  did  Taaffe  call 
on  them  to  rally :  with  his  own  hand  he  killed  many  of 
the  fugitives,  but  they  were  panic-stricken  and  could 
lot  be  brought  back.  The  cavalry,  under  Purcell, 
Tollowed  the  infantry,  and  Inchiquin  turned  his  whole 
force  on  the  few  brave  men  who  had  seized  his  guna. 
So  sure  were  those  brave  fellows  that  Incliiquin  was  in 
full  retreat,  that  they  were  resting  on  the  ground  and 
had  not  time  to  load  when  they  were  shot  down  and 
piked.  The  heroic  Alexander,  who  was  now  returning 
to  his  men,  was  met  by  fourteen-'  of  Inchiquin's 
cavalry,  and  having  killed  four  of  them  witli  his  own 
hand,  was  treacherously  assassinated  while  parleying 
with  an  officer.  It  was  a  disgraceful  flight,  and  .only 
to  be  remembered  as  a  stain  upon  the  national  character. 
The  loss  to  the  conff  derates  amounted  to  1,500  men, 
not  to  mention  officers  and  the  materiel ;  whilst  that  of 
Inchiquin  was  comparatively  trifling,  if  we  take  into 


204  CONFEDERATION   OF   KILKENNY. 

^consideration  tlie  booty  that  was  found  on  the  field.  It 
was  a  lamentable  day  for  the  confederates,  for  it  cost 
them  the  life  of  the  ardent  and  chivalrous  Colkitto,  to 
whose  valour  Inchiquin  did  not  fail  to  do  honour  ;*  for 
in  his  letter  to  Lenthal,  the  speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  he  states  "that  none  truly  fought  but  the 
regiments  commanded  by  Alexander  Mac  Donnell,  the 
rest  having  fled  to  LiscarroU  and  New  Market."f 

Gratefully  was  the  news  of  this  victory  received  in 
England.  Every  reverse  which  the  confederate  arms 
sustained,  was  hailed  with  the  most  frantic  plaudits. 
Tlie  fanatics  from  their  pulpits,  and  tlie  dictaters  in  the 
parliament,  bore  testimony  to  the  heroic  prowess  of 
Murrogh  the  burner,  whom  they  regarded  as  fighting 
the  battle  of  the  Lord,  against  the  unrighteous;  and 
they  soon  after  sent  him  £10,000  for  his  army,  and  a 
present  of  £1,000  for  his  own  good  services. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  defeat  at  Knockninoss  Avas  communicated  in  a 
few  days  afterwards  by  Taaflfe  to  the  general  assembly, 
which  had  met  at  Kilkenny  on  the  r2th  of  November. 

Pending  the  election  of  the  representatives,  every  nerve 
was  strained  by  the  Ormondist  party  to  return  members 
who  were  favourable  to  their  views  :  nor  were  they  dis- 
appointed. They  had  toiled  with  incredible  activity  to 
carry  their  point,  and  they  could  now  command  a  ma- 
jority in  the  federative  assembly.  Ulster,  whicli  used  to 
send  sixty- three  members,  now  sent  only  nine ;  the  state 
of  the  country  interfered  with  the  election,  and  the  nine 
.iemanded  to  have  sixty-three  voices.  The  other  pro- 
vinces, for  the  same  reason,  were  also  defective,  but  not 
in  an  equal  degree  ;  and  the  demand  of  the  Ulster  mem. 

*  There  is,  says  Smith,  (Hist,  of  Cork)  a  very  odd  kind  of  music 
well  known  in  Munster  by  the  name  of  Mac  Allisdrum's  march,  being 
a  wild  rhapsody  made  in  honour  of  this  commander,  to  this  day  much 
Cfltocmed  by  toe  Irish,  and  pla^i^xl  at  all  their  feasts. 

t  Iriah  Tracts,  11.  D.  Societ- 


CONFEDERATION    Of    KILKENNY.  -"JO 

bcrs  was  silenced,  on  the  plea  that  the  other  provinces 
might  insist  on  a  similar  privilege.  The  Ulster  members 
were  opposed  to  peace,  and,  although  they  sat  in  the 
assembly,  they  declared  that  their  province  would 
regard  the  decisions  of  the  council  as  invalid,  and  of  no 
force. 

Tlie  only  opposition  which  was  now  dreaded  by  the 
Ormondist  party  was  that  of  the  bishops  elect.  The 
bulls  from  the  holy  see  had  already  arrived,  nominating 
to  eleven  vacancies.  The  new  prelates,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  John  *  of  Tuam,  were  all  in  the  interest  of  tlie 
nuncio ;  for  he  was  a  De  Burgho,  and  warmly  attached 
to  the  policy  of  Clanricarde.  The  neAv  bishops,  how- 
ever, were  an  important  addition  to  the  nuncio's  party  ; 
and  much  did  the  Ormondists  dread  the  influence  they 
were  likely  to  command.  They  were  admitted  to  the  as- 
sembly, in  right  of  their  sees  ;  but  Muskerry  objected 
to  the  bishop  of  Koss,  whom  he  declared  not  qiialified  to 
take  his  place  amongst  the  spiritual  peers,  as  he  had  not 
been  recommended  by  the  supreme  council ;  but,  cir- 
cumstanced as  the  confederates  were  at  that  moment 
(for  they  were  meditating  a  negotiation  with  Rome),  the 
objection  was  not  pressed,  and  the  bishop  elect  was  ad- 
mitted to  his  place. 

Never  before  did  the  council  of  the  confederates  meet 
under  more  gloomy  auspices.  Wailing  and  lamentat4on 
might  be  heard  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land.  Within  four  months  they  had  lost  two  armies, 
and  the  ravages  of  war  were  such  that  the  country  re- 
mained unfilled,  and  looked  as  if  it  had  been  struck 
with  the  curse  of  sterility.  One  gallant  heart  was  yet 
undismayed,  and  beat  high  with  hope.  From  the  rock 
of  Dunamase  to  the  northern  bank  of  the  Lifiey  did 
his  faithful  clansmen  carry  his  standard.  That  man 
was  Owen  Roe.  Inchiquin,  flushed  with  recent  victory, 
might  have  marched  on  Kilkenny,  if  he  did  not  d.-ead 
Jhe  celerity  of  movement  and  the  masterly  ..,^tl2s  of 
O'Neill.  Jones  dared  not  to  cross  the  LiflTey,  ..or  he 
would  have  driven  him  back  with  slaughter ;— and  yet 
there  was  in  this  new  council  many  a  man  who  sighed 
for  O'Neill's  ruin  as  the  only  hope  for  Ireland,     j'^atu- 

*■  He  wa?»  the  very  antipodes  of  his  predecessor  llalachi'. 


206  CONFEDERATION    Ol    KILKENNY. 

rally  enough,  the  first  question  submitted  to  the  rou 
sideration  of  the  assembly  was  the  unhappy  state  of  Ire- 
land, almost  brought  to  ruin  by  the  dissensions  and 
misfortunes  of  her  own  children.  "With  a  feeling  of  de- 
votion as  intense  as  that  with  Avhicli  the  sun-worshipper 
turns  to  his  god,  the  Ormond  party  now  looked  to 
England,  in  the  vain  hope  of  etfecting  some  acconimoda- 
tion  with  the  king.  But  the  project  of  sending  deputies 
to  the  royal  person  was  soon  abandoned,  when  the  news 
reached  them  of  his  captivity  in  Carisbrooke  Castle. 
The  immediate  effect  which  this  astounding  intelligence 
produced,  was  the  publication  of  an  edict  from  the  as- 
sembly, calling  the  people  to  arms,  and  offering,  to  all 
officers  who  would  desert  Inchiquin's  standard,  the  same 
grade  which  they  held  in  their  former  employment,  pro- 
vided they  declared  for  the  confederates.  A  strong 
inclination  for  peace  pervaded  the  assembly,  and  the 
Ormondist  faction  would  have  openly  avowed  it,  could 
they  have'hoped  to  gain  any  th'nar  like  reasonable  terms 
from  the  parliament ;  but  their  undeniable  loyalty  to 
the  king,  which  far  exceeded  their  devotion  to  their 
country,  removed  all  hope  in  that  regard. 

As  the  means  for  protracting  the  war  were  now  totally 
exhausted,  the  question  of  a  foreign  protectorate  was 
openly  mooted  in  the  assembly.  In  the  selection  of 
foreign  princes  Avho  were  deemed  as  most  eligible,  the 
pope  was  the  first  whose  name  was  introduced.  Nor 
were  the  agents  from  the  French  and  Spanish  courts 
inactive  Avhilst  the  question  was  being  discussed.  These 
two  courts  had  a  serious  interest  in  that  subject,  and 
both  put  forward  rival  claims.  Indeed  Ireland  was,  for 
both,  the  nursery  of  soldiers ;  and  a  singular  instance  of 
their  mutual  jealousies  on  the  subject  is  recorded  as 
having  taken  place  early  in  this  year.  M.  Tallon  and 
Diego  della  Torre*  had  enlisted  several  regiments  for  the 
two  crowns,  and  sailed  from  Waterford  with  the  levies  ; 
but  they  had  not  cleared  the  Irish  coast  when  Tallon 
attacked  Torre's  ships,  and  carried  all  the  soldiers  to 
France.  Thus  the  French  envoy  pressed  the  claim  of 
the  French  crovv^u,  as  more  likely  to  be  beneficial  to 
Ireland  in  case  a  foreign  protectorate  M'as  determined  on, 

•  Carte's  Ornj. 


CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKENNY.  207 

to  the  exclusion  of  Spain,  which  he  represented  as 
intriguing  with  the  Enghsh  parliament.  But  the  rival 
pretensions  did  not  meet  much  encouragement  from  the 
assembly. 

As  to  the  pope,  no  matter  how  earnestly  Rinuccini 
might  have  wished  to  have  him  proclaimed  protector,  his 
inability  to  furnish  means  would  have  been  sufficient 
reason  for  negativing  such  an  appointment.  But,  along 
with  this  consideration,  the  distance  between  Ireland 
and  Rome,  would  have  rendered  such  an  expedient  per- 
fectly useless.  Tlie  instructions  which  the  nuncio  had 
received  from  his  court  were  satisfactory  on  the  subject ; 
for  he  had  been  already  warned,  "  not  to  let  that  point 
ever  come  into  consultation,  as  a  protectorate  at  such  a 
distance  could  be  of  no  use  to  the  Irish,  who  could  expect 
but  little  succour  from  the  pope ;  moreover,  it  would 
expose  the  Papal  See  to  the  jealousy  of  princes,  and 
exhaust  its  exchequer,  beside  a  thousand  other  reasons 
which  forbade  any  thoughts  of  that  nature."* 

But  these  discussions  were  introduced  into  the  as- 
sembly by  the  Ormondist  faction,  without  any  real  view 
to  their  practicability.  Their  grand  object  was  to 
restore  Ormond  to  power.  The  nuncio  and  prelates  had 
thought  that  the  queen  would  have  appointed  Glamorgan, 
now  Earl  of  Worcester,  to  the  viceroy alty  of  Ireland. 
But  Ormond  who  had  been  at  St.  Germains  long  before, 
succeeded  in  depreciating  the  earl,  and  lessening  him  in 
the  eyes  of  her  majesty  In  the  last  interview  which 
Ormond  had  with  the  king,  he  received  a  positive  assu- 
rance that  he  should  one  day  return  to  Ireland  invested 
with  the  plenitude  of  power.  And  the  queen,  caught 
by  his  obsequious  flattery  and  magniloquent  promises, 
confirmed  the  determination  of  her  consort. 

A  curious  circumstance  transpired  during  these  debates. 
A  book,  entitled  "An  Apologetic  Discussion,"  written  by 
an  Irish  Jesuii,  invalidating  the  title  of  England  to  the 
sovereignty  of  the  sister  country,  and  exhorting  the 
Irish  to  elect  a  king  from  among  themselves,  had  been 
brought  into  the  country,  and  widely  circulated.  It 
was  immediately  concluded  by  the  partizans  of  Ormond, 
that  the   Irisli  meant  to  place  the  crown  on  O'Neill's 

'  Carte,  p   2 


20S  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY 

head,  and  thus  renounce  their  allegiance  to  tlieif 
rijjhtfiil  sovereign.  The  book  was,  thereupon,  con- 
demned and  ordered  to  be  burned  by  the  executioner  ; 
and  the  author,  who  had  struck  hard  at  English  misrule, 
was  consigned  to  all  the  pains  and  penalties  of  high 
treason,  siiould  he  ever  venture  into  the  country.* 

But  the  Ormondist  party  had  now  made  up  their  minds 
to  adopt  a  more  practicable  course  to  realize  their  darling 
project.  By  an  act  of  the  assembly  it  was  resolved  to 
send  agents  to  the  Queen  and  Prince  of  Wales,  and  also 
to  the  Pope  and  King  of  Spain. 

The  agents  who  were  to  proceed  on  these  missions 
were  soon  named.  French,  bishop  of  Ferns,  and  Nicholas 
Plunket  were  to  proceed  to  Rome.  Muskerry,  Brown, 
and  Heber  MacMahon  were  appointed  to  the  French 
court. 

Nor  was  this  scheme  without  its  hidden  treachery.  It 
was  the  object  of  Ormond's  partisans  to  remove  from  the 
assembly  all  whom  they  knew  to  be  hostile  to  their  de- 
signs. French  and  Plunket  were  in  the  interest  of  the 
nuncio  and  clergy,  and  MacMahon.  Bishop  of  Clogher, 
was  O'Neill's  second  in  commana,  and  most  useful  to  that 
gallant  chieftain. 

When  the  nomination  took  place,  MacMahon  rose  in 
the  assembly  and  declared  that  he  would  not  leave  the 
kingdom.  Loud  murmurs  of  disapprobation  followed 
the  announcement.  A  majority  of  fifty  had  already  de- 
termined the  question,  when  the  patriotic  bishop  ad- 
dressed them  in  Latin: — "My  lords  and  gentlemen, 
hence  I  will  not  go.  My  character  and  motives  have 
been  misrepresented  in  your  English  and  French  courts ; 
my  life,  therefore,  would  be  endangered  ;  and,  setting 
this  consideration  aside,  my  ignorance  of  the  French  and 
Sassenagh  languages  must  incapacitate  me  from  taking 
part  in  the  negotiations  you  contemplate."  The  Or. 
mondists  were  thunderstruck  when  thej  heard  this. 
Many  of  them  cried  out  that  the  confederation  was  dis- 
solved and  utterly  ruined  by  the  dissensions  of  the  pre- 
lates. Preston  rushed  out  to  collect  his  troops,  for  the 
bishop  was  guilty  of  contempt,  and  it  was  likely  he  would 
be  committed  to  prison.     The  gates  of  Kilkenny  were 

*  Vide  llardiman's  Hist,  of  Galway. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 


*Afd 


closed,  and  a  messenger  proceeded  to  O'Neill's  liead- 
quarters  to  inform  him  of  tlie  occurrence.  When  Owen 
Roe  heard  the  treatment  whicli  his  friend  experienced, 
be  sent  back  Avord  that  he  wonld  not  act  very  leniently 
Avitli  the  assembly  if  the  slightest  indignity  were  offered 
to  the  prelate. 

When  the  assembly  received  notice  of  O'Neill's  inten- 
tions, they  dropped  the  question,  and  the  Marquess  of 
Antrim  was  appointed  in  place  of  the  bishop.  Nor  are 
we  to  be  surprised  at  the  indignation  of  Owen  Roe  at 
this  moment.  MacMa-hon  was  his  confidant  and  friend  ; 
they  loved  each  other  with  the  tenderest  affection.  On 
the  morning  of  Beinburb  the  bishop  shrived  his  chief, 
and  in  that  evening's  ever-memorable  sunset  he  Avas 
charging  at  his  side.  MacMahon  knew  nothing  of  court 
chicane  and  wily  intrigue.  The  crozier  was  not  any 
longer  useful  to  him  in  protecting  his  flock,  and  he 
therefore  had  girt  on  the  sword.  He  was  to  O'Neill 
what  Daiberto,  Bishop  of  Pisa,  was  to  Godfrey,*  in 
the  days  of  the  crusaders,  and  he  would  not  be  sepa- 
rated from  him.  What  business  had  that  stern  old  bishop 
in  the  saloons  of  St.  Germains,  when  his  people  were  in 
arms  for  their  lives,  their  altars,  and  homesteads  ? 

At  no  former  period  was  there  a  greater  want  of 
energy  on  the  part  of  these  Ormondists  than  at  the  pre- 
sent moment.  They  were  now  paralysed  by  the  effects 
of  their  own  imprudence.  The  prejudice  which  they 
had  excited  against  O'Neill  was  the  cause  of  all  the  dis- 
asters in  the  south ;  and  even  now,  when  he  was  ready 
to  march,  at  the  head  of  12,000  foot  and  1,500  horse, 
they  lacked  the  spirit  which  was  required.  But  they 
dreaded  O'Neill,  as  if  he  meant  to  exterminate  them, 
root  and  branch ;  and  they  hated  the  nuncio,  as  though 
he  were  in  concert  with  him  to  wrest  the  ecclesiastical 
revenues  out  of  their  possession.  When  energetic  action 
was  required  they  preferred  going  a-begging  beyond 
seas,  and  they  consoled  themselves  with  the  hope  of 
being  beneficial  to  the  country  by  soliciting  alms 
from  des})ots,  when  they  should  have  been  usefully 
engaged  in  hunting  them  out  at  home.  View  it  as  v:e 
will,  the  remnant   of  nationality  Avas  at  this  moment 


*  De  Rossi  "  II  conte  Ugolino. 


210  CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

in  the  hearts  of  O'Neill  and  the  clergy,  for  they  alone 
were  ready  and  willing  to  sacrifice  all  to  it. 

Those  craven  cowards,  who  could  fight  Avith  "courtly 
words,"  were  now  determined  to  bring  over  the  Prince 
of  Wales ;  and  if  they  did  not  succeed  in  their  designs, 
they  were  to  insist  on  the  immediate  recall  of  Lord 
Ormond. 

After  a  month's  discussion,  a  draft  of  the  instructions 
to  be  given  to  the  respective  agents,  was  submitted  to  the 
supreme  council,  and  corrected  by  the  bishops.  When 
corrected,  they  were  signed  by  nine  prelates  and  six  lay 
peers.  The  Koman  agents  were  directed  to  assure  the 
pope,  that  they  would  insist  upon  such  terms  as  would 
secure  the  free  and  public  exercise  of  the  Catholic  reli- 
gion, on  having  a  Catholic  lord  lieutenant,  and  pub- 
lishing the  religious  articles  at  the  same  time  with  the 
civil.  They  were  then  to  solicit  aids ;  and,  in  case  a 
satisfactory  settlement  could  not  be  had,  they  were  to 
implore  the  holy  father  to  take  on  himself  the  protect- 
orate  of  Ireland. 

Those  destined  to  France  and  Spain  were  charged  to 
solicit  arms  and  money,  and  assistance  to  procure  them 
a  happy  peace ;  and  if  they  found  such  a  peace  could 
not  be  had,  and  that  the  pope  would  decline  the  pro- 
tectorship, they  were  to  inform  themselves  where  it  could 
be  placed  most  for  the  advantage  of  the  nation,  and 
manage  it  accordingly. 

Such  were  the  instructions ;  but  an  important  point 
remained  to  be  settled  before  the  departure  of  the  de- 
puties— the  appointment  of  members  who  were  to  govern 
in  the  assembly  whilst  they  av/aited  answers  to  their 
negotiation.  The  Ormondists  proposed  the  very  men 
who  had  been  instrumental  in  concluding  the  former 
peace,  and  the  clergy  objected  to  them.  A  medium 
M^as  therefore  agreed  upon,  that  an  equal  number  of  both 
should  be  chosen ;  but  Muskerry  had  made  an  arrange- 
Uient  early  in  the  session,  which  in  a  great  measure 
sadly  discomfited  the  party  which  was  opposed  to  liis 
views. 

As  members  might  be  absent  on  an  occasion  when  it 
wuuld  be  necessary  to  sign  or  issue  orders,  he  proposed 
that  Hupernumeraries  should  be  appointed  to  fill  tlieir 
places ;  and  the  result  was,  that    forty-§ight  were  ap- 


COKFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  211 

pointed  who  were  all  devoted  to  the  interests  of  Or- 
mond  and  MuskerrN*.  In  vain  did  the  prelates  protest 
against  this  arrangement;  and  the  bishop  of  Ferns,  see- 
ing that  his  absence  was  a  trick  devised  by  the  anti- 
clerical body,  would  fain  withdraw  from  the  embassy  ; 
but  the  Ormondists  were  now  in  a  majority — masters  of 
the  assembly  ;  and  the  council  were,  almost  to  a  man,  in 
favour  of  their  views. 

The  prelates  knev/  well  that  Ormond  would  never 
consent  to  any  peace  which  would  leave  the  Catholics  in 
possession  of  the  churches,  and  the  public  exercise  of 
religion  with  all  its  splendour ;  and  they  accordingly 
drew  up  a  document  which  tliey  signed,  pledging  them- 
selves tliat  they  would  never  consent  that  the  queen  or 
prince  of  Wales  should  be  invited  over  till  the  religious 
articles  sliould  be  secured,  or  that  any  peace  shoidd  be 
made  which  would  tend  to  lessen  the  public  exercise  of 
their  religion. 

French  and  Plunket  sailed  from  Waterford  on  the  10th 
of  February  ;  but.  meeting  with  storms,  were  forced  to 
put  back,  and  sailed  again  on  the  17th.  They  brought 
with  them  a  strange  document,  signed  by  Owen  0'2^eill 
and  eight  bishops,  entreating  the  pope  to  raise  Rinuccini 
to  the  dignity  of  cardinal.  Muskerry  and  Brown  sailed 
soon  after ; — nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that  there  was  a 
strict  understanding  between  the  nuncio  and  Muskerry, 
that  a  special  provision  should  be  made  for  restoring  the 
"  old  Irish"  to  their  plundered  estates  in  Ulster.  But 
Muskerry  was  not  sincere  when  he  acquiesced  in  this 
matter,  for  he  had  no  notion  tliat  such  justice  should  be 
done  the  kinsmen  and  abettors  of  the  man  who  had  been 
.1  thorn  in  the  side  of  Ormond.  Yet  it  is  not  honourable 
to  his  memory  that  he  left  an  impression  on  liinuccini's 
mind  that  O'Neill  would  be  restored,  at  the  very  mo- 
ment when  he  was  cordially  opposed  to  such  an  ad- 
justment. * 

Th'e  Earl  of  Antrim,  whose  services  in  the  king's  caua 
entitled  him  to  a  much  higher  place  in  the  royal  esteem 
sailed  before  his  colleagues ;  and  he  tliought  he  wool 
have  been  immediately  appointed  lord  lieutenant.     B 

»  Carte,  ii.  20. 


212  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

he  was  a  Catholic ;  and  he  had  soon  reason  enough  to 
find  himself  undeceived.  Could  the  urgent  instance  of 
the  nuncio  and  the  Irish  bishops  have  carried  this  point, 
a  great  good  would  have  been  effected  ;  but  Glamorgan 
was  refused  ;  and  such  was  the  fatal  leaning  to  the  bi- 
fronted  Ormond,  that  all  hopes  of  the  queen  and  prince 
were  centred  in  him. 

They  landed  at  St.  Malo  on  tlie  14th  of  March,  and 

soon  afterwards  waited  on  the  queen  at  St.  Germains 

TaafFe  and  Preston,  who  M'ere  humbled  by  their  recent 
defeat,  were  now  siding  with  the  Ormond  party  in  the 
cry  for  peace,  and  forwarded  private  instructions  to 
Ormond,  assuring  him  of  their  devotion  to  his  interests, 
but,  above  all,  of  their  hatred  of  the  nuncio,  O'Neill, 
^nd  the  prelates,  whom  they  represented  as  plotting  the 
introduction  of  some  foreign  power.  They  expressed 
the  most  ardent  desire  for  the  advent  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  and  only  wanted  assistance  to  march  against 
O'Neill,  who  was  the  only  obstacle  they  dreaded.  But 
in  case  the  prince  would  decline  coming  into  Ireland, 
they  entreated  to  be  furnisiied  witli  such  instructions  as 
should  guide  them  in  all  things  conformable  to  the  royal 
feelings. 

On  the  question  of  religion,  however,  they  were  pro- 
foundly silent.  As  it  had  been  agreed  that  this  point 
should  not  be  touched  tiU  some  communication  came 
from  the  deputies  who  had  gone  to  Rome.  The  chief 
and  grand  subjects  which  engaged  their  negotiation  re- 
garded temporal  concessions,  which  were  calculated  to 
secure  to  them  their  estates ;  nor  did  they  get  a  final 
answer  from  the  queen  till  the  13th  of  May. 

That  answer  rated  them  on.  tlieir  rebellious  conduct 
in  rejecting  the  former  peace  ;  and  to  this  fruitful  soui'ce 
were  ascribed  all  tlie  misfortunes  of  Ireland  and  of  the 
king  himself.  Adverting,  then,  to  the  question  of  re- 
ligion, she  assured  the  Marquess  of  Antrim  in  parti- 
.cular,  "that,  under  existing  circumstances,  there  was 
no  giving  them  a  final  and  conclusive  answer ;  but  she 
assured  them,  that  she  would  soon  give  them  some,  such 
as  she  should  think  fit  to  receive  in  Ireland  more  par- 
ticular and  full  propositions  from  the  Irish  confederates  ; 
and  that  the  person  thus  authorized  should  be  instructed 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

in  whatever  was  consistent  with  justice  and  his  majes- 
ty's honour."* 

Such  was  the  queen's  reply.  Much  like  every  other 
royal  speech  dictated  by  the  minister,  and  far  more  full 
of  promise  than  good  intentions.  Ormond  dictated  it — 
Queen  Maria  pronounced  it.  The  person  to  be  autho- 
rized to  restore  peace  to  Ireland  was  the  Marquess  of 
Ormond,  and  his  adherents  hastened  back  to  prepare  for 
his  advent. 

Ormond,  who  had  been  secretly  treating  with  Inchi 
quin  before  the  surrender  of  Dublin,  still  kept  up  a  cor- 
respondence with  him  ;  and  he  had  no  reason  to  be  dis- 
appointed. Inchiquin  was  to  the  parliament  what 
Preston  WaS  ^o  tlie  confederates,  fond  of  changing  sides, 
and  actuated  more  by  private  resentments  than  a  sense 
of  public  duty  to  their  respective  parties.  The  vacilla- 
tion of  both  these  men  was  of  great  use  to  Ormond  ; 
and  he  could  not  but  be  rejoiced  when  he  learned  that 
"  Murrogh  of  the  burnings"  had  once  more  declared  for 
the  king.  The  monies  which  had  been  advanced  to  him 
by  the  parliament,  he  declared  were  insufficient  for  the 
payment  and  maintenance  of  his  troops ;  and,  after  a 
short  repose,  he  took  the  field  again,  and  threatened 
to  re-enact  the  tragedy  of  Cashel  in  the  city  of  Water- 
ford.  The  vigilance  of  the  garrison,  however,  com- 
pelled him  to  abandon  his  deadly  intentions,  and  he 
marched  into  the  county  Kilkenny,  murdering  the  pea- 
santry, and  exacting  contributions.  Jones,  whose  army 
was  reduced  to  great  straits  in  Dublin,  finding  that 
O'Neill's  troops  had  retired  on  Kilkenny,  now  marched 
out  of  the  city,  and  secured  provisions,  having  reduced 
Maynooth  Castle,  which  was  but  feebly  garrisoned ;  and 
the  simultaneous  movements  of  Inchiquin  and  the  par- 
liament-governor  of  Dublin  led  many  to  think  that  it  was 
a  preconcerted  design  between  them  both.f 

The  presence  of  O'Neill  saved  Kilkenny  at  this 
moment,  for  Inchiquin  had  not  the  ability  or  the  force  to 
meet  him.  All  the  mischief  which  Murrogh  had  com- 
mitted up  to  the  present  did  not  amount  to  more  than 
mere  border  raids,  and  the  supreme  council  held  a 
meeting    at  Clonmel,   where  Rinuccini  made  an  ofier, 

«  Carte.  f  Rinuccini.  p.  296. 


214  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

cn  the  part  of  Owen  Roe,  to  advance  into  Munster,  and 
quarter  his  army  in  the  very  cantonments  occupied 
by  Inchiquin's  troops.  But  all  these  overtures  were 
rejected  by  the  Ormondists,  who  had  rather  see  O'Neill 
extinguished  than  Inchiquin  suffer  the  least  molesta- 
tion. 

Exasperated  by  this  determined  opposition,  which  led 
him  to  think  that  he  was  to  be  victimized,  to  the  im- 
placable resentment  of  Muskerry  and  his  partizans, 
O'Neill  sent  word  to  the  council  that  he  Avould  imme- 
diatly  retire  into  the  north,  and  leave  them  to  shift  for 
themselves.  But  such  was  the  nuncio's  influence  Avith 
him,  that  he  was  induced  to  protract  his  stay  in  Leinster, 
to  keep  watch  and  ward  over  the  faction  which  was 
secretly  plotting  his  ruin.  An  event  had  lately  trans- 
pired which  added  to  the  hatred  already  conceived  for 
Owen  Roe  by  the  Ormondists.  Whilst  Rinuccini  was 
eagerly  expecting  the  arrival  of  the  Dean  of  Fermo, 
with  the  supplies  of  money  from  Rome,  the  ship  so 
long  expected  was  signalled  from  the  ramparts  of  Dun- 
cannon,  and  the  Dean  Massari  landed  at  Waterford  on 
the  23rd  of  March.  Along  with  the  money  there  came 
a  letter  from  the  pope  to  Oft'en  Roe,  extolling  his  love 
for  the  religion  of  his  fathers,  and  his  chivalrous  devo- 
tion to  his  native  land.  The  sword  of  the  Earl  of 
Tyrone,  "which  had  rifted  the  field  like  lightning  at 
Beal-an-atha-Buidhe,"  had  been  carefully  preserved  by 
Father  Luke  Wadding  ;  and  the  hand  of  the  pontiff 
blessed  the  blade,  and  ordered  it  to  be  given  to  him 
who  well  could  wield  it.  This  simple  circumstance, 
taken  in  c^Onnexion  with  O'Mahony's  book,  was  the 
signal  for  an  outcry.  O'Neill  was  to  be  a  king ;  the 
book  was  the  declaration  of  his  sovereignty,  and  that 
sword  was  the  emblem  of  royalty.  Henceforth  no 
matter  on  what  side  he  stood,  as  long  as  a  man  could  be 
found  to  oppose  him,  O'Neill  was  doomed  to  ruin  and 
destruction.* 

But  the  real  intentions  of  Ormond's  abettors  did  not 
transpire  till  about  the  beginning  of  April,  when  Colonel 
John  Barry,  the  companion  of  Ormond  in  his  flight  from 
London,  landed  in  Ireland.     He  immediately  gave  out 

GaU.  of  Irish  Writers,  p.  98. 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKKNNY. 


•hat  the  marquess  had  a  secret  commission  from  the 
'cing  to  treat  with  Tnchiquin,  and  having  been  furnished 
/rith  a  safe  conduct  by  the  supreme  council,  he  hastened 
lo  notify  them  of  the  fact.  The  Scotch  who  were 
looped  up  in  the  seaport  towns  in  Ulster,  were  anxious 
\)  change  sides,  and  nothing  now  remained  but  the 
coming  of  Ormond  to  unite  all  parties  in  a  determined 
league  against  Jones  in  Dublin  and  all  those  who  were 
in  the  interest  of  the  parliament. 

The  supreme  council  gladly  seized  the  opportunity  of 
writing  to  Murrogh,  proposing  a  truce ;  but,  affecting 
to  disregard  them,  his  answer  was  addressed  to  Dr. 
Fennell,  one  of  Ormond's  creatures,  demanding  4,000 
dollars  per  month  as  the  price  of  his  adhesion.  This 
was  gladly  accepted,  and  the  men  who  would  not  give  a 
fraction  to  O'Neill,  readily  accepted  the  offer  of  him 
whose  hands  were  stained  with  the  blood  shed  at  Cashel. 
Two  months  before  the  supreme  council  had  resolved 
to  raise  an  army  of  7,000  infantry  and  700  horse,  but 
now  that  Ormond  was  to  come,  tiie  project  was 
abandoned,  for  he,  forsooth,  was  a  host  in  himself,  and 
nothing  but  his  presence  was  required. 

A  proclamation,  calling  a  meeting  of  the  confederates 
at  Kilkenny  on  the  20th  of  April,  was  now  circulated 
throughout  the  land,  and  many  and  various  were  the 
anticipations  to  which  it  gave  rise.  The  question 
which  was  to  fix  attention,  was  a  treaty  or  truce  with 
Inchiquin.  The  Ormondists  hailed  it  as  the  comsumma- 
tion  of  their  hopes,  for  it  would  restore  their  idol  to  power. 
But,  alas !  there  were  many  who  could  easily  foresee 
that  in  the  coming  session  the  prophetic  warning,  too 
often  disregarded  in  Ireland,  was  to  be  fulfilled  to  the 
very  letter: — "Every  kingdom  divided  shall  be  made 
desolate." 

Owen  Roe  was  at  Dunamase,  girt  by  his  faitliful  fol- 
lowers, while  the  confederates  were  assembling  in  the 
'Aty  of  Kilkenny.  Sad  and  anxious  were  the  moments 
■which  the  gallant  chieftain  spent  in  the  ancient  halls  of 
the  O'Moores,  waiting  the  result  of  the  delib(*rations  of 
his  friends  and  foes.  Oh  !  how  the  lordly  soul  of  the 
Ulster  general  must  have  burned  with  indignation,  whei 
he  reflected  that  the  destinies  of  his  country  were  now 
to  be    poised  by  the  descendants  of    those    Norman 


516  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

barons  who  had  secretly  sworn  to  destroy  him  and 
his.  And  all  this,  to  propitiate  Ormond  and  Murrogh 
O'Brien !  The  craven  slaves  had  tied  up  his  hands, 
when  he  was  ready  to  strike  a  blow  which  might  have 
saved  the  country;  and  they  were  now  ready  to  pur- 
chase the  friendship  of  a  blood-stained  wretch,  even  at 
the  price  of  his  extinction.  What  wonder,  if  he  let 
loose  the  creaghts  whom  these  pusillanimous  temporizers 
so  much  dreaded?  But  the  influence  of  the  nuncic 
withheld  him.  The  dean  of  Fermo  had  come  from  the 
Vatican,  to  convey  to  him  the  blessing  of  the  holy 
father.  A  considerable  sum  of  money,  from  the  same 
source,  and  by  the  same  agency,  was  placed  at  his  dis- 
posal ;  and  from  the  ramparts  of  that  stronghold  he  often 
turned  his  looks  in  the  direction  of  Kilkenny,  awaiting 
the  signal  which  was  to  call  him  forth  to  battle  again 
for  tlie  land  of  his  sires.  But,  alas !  division  and  dis- 
sensions have  ever  been  the  bane  of  Ireland.  Such 
were  the  causes  which  brought  the  Norman  to  our 
shores  ;  and  now  the  same  spirit  of  discord  was  destined 
t)  work  our  ruin  again  : — 

"  Ex  illo  fluere,  ac  retro  sublapsa  refeiTi 

Spes  Danaum,  fractae  vires,  aversa  Dei  mens." 

Rinuccini  was  at  Waterford  when  a  letter  from  the 
supreme  council,  now  packed  with  the  adherents  of 
Ormond,  summoned  him  to  attend  the  assembly.  An 
intercepted  despatch  from  Inchiquin,  which  revealed  a 
conspiracy  against  the  life  of  O'Neill,  had  fallen  into  his 
hands;  and  some  dark  hints  about  an  attempt  to  be 
isade  on  his  own  person  caused  him  to  pause. 

Before  he  ventured  amongst  tliem,  he  addressed  a 
reply  to  their  summons,  which  set  forth  that,  as  they 
were  unable  to  carry  on  the  war  against  Jon'es  in  Dublin 
and  Inchiquin  in  Munster,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to 
treat  with  ths  latter,  and  thus  leave  them  free  to  march 
against  Jon9s,  and  make  themselves  masters  of  the 
metropolis. 

But  Rinuccini  knew  that  it  was  a  foregone  conclusion, 
and  that  they  had  determined  to  carry  their  point 
against  all  opposition.  He  therefore  wrote  to  the  council, 
to  dissuade  them,  if  possible,  from  making  any  truce 
with  Murrogh  O'Brien.     He  besought  them,  above  al' 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  217 

things,  to  consider  well  the  character  of  the  man  who** 
hand  they  were  now  ready  to  grasp.  That  hand  was 
red  with  the  blood  so  wantonly  shed  at  Cashel ;  and,  but 
a  few  days  before,  he  who  was  now  meditating  an  alliance 
with  them  was  anxious  to  take  their  lives,  even  at  the 
very  walls  of  Kilkenny.  "  What!"  -yvrote  the  nuncio, 
"are  you  now  going  to  bestow  on  Inchiquin  those 
monies  which,  if  properly  allocated,  would  send  O'Neill's 
army  into  the  south,  and  utterly  destroy  those  bandits 
who,  being  disregarded  by  the  parliament,  are  driven  by 
necessity  to  court  your  friendship?  Europe  is  shocked 
at  the  atrocities  of  this  man,  and  will  you  parley  with 
him  when  you  ought  to  avenge  your  brethren,  sacrile- 
giously murdered  and  plundered  by  his  brigands.  Ces- 
sations and  truces  have  been  the  ruin  of  the  coun^ 
try,  and  are  you  to  make  terms  with  a  man  who,  if  he 
were  not  driven  out  by  the  famishing  state  of 
his    troops,    would     not    dare    to     take    the   field  ? 

"Let  me  supplicate  you  to  do  something  worthy  of 
yourselves  and  the  confederacy.  You  have  an  army 
ready  to  march, — send  it  into  Munster,  and  leave  me 
free  to  inform  the  holy  father  that  you  have  restored  re- 
ligion, and  rescued  the  peasantry  from  the  cruel  and  ex- 
orbitant taxation  imposed  by  a  man  on  whose  sincerity 
you  can  place  no  reliance.  I  will  attend  your  summons, 
but  before  I  come  I  have  thought  it  well  to  put  you  in 
possession  of  my  sentiments."* 

His  epistle  met  a  prompt  and  argumentative  reply. 
Inchiquin  was  fortified  in  almost  all  the  strong  places  in 
the  south.  It  was  not  now  the  time  to  undertake  sieges, 
even  though  they  had  the  means;  "and  granting  that 
( VNeill's  army  could  be  sent  into  Munster,  are  we  to 
suppose,"  said  the  Ormondists,  "  that  Jones  and  the  other 
parliamentarian  generals  will  remain  inactive?  What 
terms  can  we  expect  from  the  queen  and  Prince  of  Wales, 
if.  instead  of  niakhig  war  against  their  avowed  enemies, 
we  reject  the  overtures  of  a  man  who  is  willing  to  figlit 
with  us  under  the  same  standard  and  for  the  same  cause  ? 
The  churches  which  he  has  desecrated  we  will  restore, 
and  our  care  will  be  to  see  tlie  plundered  peasantry  in- 
demnified for  their  losses.     Let  us  not  then  reject  the 

*  Philop.  Inen. 


218        CONFEDERATION  OF  KILKENNY. 

overtures  of  the  man  whom  our  refusal  will  exasperate, 
and  drive  back  to  the  ranks  of  the  parliament,  and  fi- 
nally  induce  him  to  give  Cork,  Youghal,  and  Kinsale 
into  their  hands.  What  doubts  could  be  obtained  of  his 
fidelity  to  the  new  cause  since  he  had  imprisoned  those 
who  refused  to  sign  for  the  king  ?  And  as  to  his  rapa- 
city and  sacrileges,  which  the  Christian  world  must  exe- 
crate, remember  that  our  own  countrymen  are  at  this 
moment  spoiling  the  peasantry  almost  under  the  walls  of 
Dublin.  Write,  therefore,  to  Rome — supplicate  the 
holy  father  to  send  us  aid  through  Plunket  and  the 
Bishop  of  Ferns  ;  and  now  that  we  are  no  longer  appre- 
hensive of  Inchiquin,  let  us  make  a  stern  struggle  for 
the  cause  of  that  king  to  whom  our  oath  of  association 
conscientiously  binds  us." 

An  additional  argument  was  borrowed  from  the  sup- 
position that  he  sanctioned  a  truce  which  O'Neill  was 
about  to  negotiate  with  the  Scotch,  as  if  to  convict  him 
of  factious  inconsistency.  But  these  arguments  were 
unavailing.  Rinuccini  was  firm  in  his  resolve  to  oppose 
the  truce  with  Inchiquin.  He  dictated  a  letter  in  reply 
to  this,  arguing  that  the  parliamentarians  in  Dublin  were 
as  badly  off  as  the  troops  of  Inchiquin  in  the  south, 
and  that  immediate  action  against  one  and  the  other  was 
more  necessary  than  truces  and  diplomacy.  He  treated 
the  assumed  inability  of  the  confederates  to  carry  on  the 
war  as  the  result  of  pusillanimity,  and  concluded  by  de- 
nying that  he  ever  was  concerned  in  any  truce  between 
O'Neill  and  the  Scotch. 

But  the  object  of  this  correspondence  was  to  induce 
the  nuncio  to  proceed  to  Kilkenny,  on  the  assurance  that 
nothing  should  be  done  "  without  his  entire  satisfac- 
tion ;"  but,  in  fact,  it  was  not  for  the  purpose  of  gaining 
his  concurrence,  but  rather  to  secure  a  portion  of  the 
money  which  had  been  recently  sent  from  Rome. 

He  proceeded,  however,  and  the  session  commenced 
on  the  20th  of  April ; — it  was  doomed  to  be  the  last  in 
which  he  was  ever  to  take  part. 

The  question  which  now  fixed  the  attention  of  Ireland 
was  that  which  had  already  formed  the  subject  of  the 
correspondence  between  the  nuncio  and  the  supreme 
coun-.il.  The  long  catalogue  of  the  reverses  sustained 
by  the  confederate  arras,  and  the  difficult  es  to  which 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  2i9' 

Ireland  was  reduced,  furnished  ample  matter  for  the  elo- 
quence as  well  as  intrigue  of  both  parties. 

The  enemy,  said  the  Ormondists,  is  almost  at  your 
doors.  Jones,  aided  by  the  rebel  parliament  of  England, 
is  only  waiting  his  opportunity  to  march  against  you, 
ind  Inchiquin  in  the  south  will  soon  be  in  a  condition  to 
operate  with  him,  if  you  reject  the  truce  which  he  offers. 
Under  such  circumstances,  you  cannot  pause  a  moment 
to  conclude  with  him.  We  are  destitute  of  means,  and 
cannot  oppose  him.  The  political  articles  which  he  pro- 
poses are  unobjectionable,  and  the  two  which  regard  re- 
ligion must  prove  satisfactory  in  our  present  disastrous 
condition. 

The  articles  touching  that  most  important  subject 
stipulated  that  no  confederate  Catholic  should  suffer  any 
injury  in  the  free  exercise  of  his  religion,  so  long  as  the 
said  cessation  should  be  observed ;  tliat  the  property  in 
the  actual  possession  of  tlie  clergy  as  well  as  of  the 
laity  shall  remain  in  the  same  undisturbed^state  as  it 
had  been  whm  the  cessation  commenced,' 

Such  were  the  conditions  made  by  Inchiquin  in  the 
matter  of  religion ;  and  be  it  observed,  that  it  was  re- 
solved that  the  Catholic  religion  should  not  be  exercised 
in  his  quarters  or  garrisons.  The  enlightened  policy  of 
Europe  at  the  present  day  will  not  tolerate  the  perse- 
cution of  the  Christian  of  any  denomination  in  Turkey  ; 
and  are  we  to  wonder  that  an  enlightened  Italian,  in  the 
year  1648,  would  not  sign  his  consent  to  such  terms  on 
behalf  of  the  Catholics  of  Ireland  ? 

He  took,  however,  the  real  view  of  the  case,  and  re- 
jected the  terms,  as  far  from  consonant  to  the  spirit  of 
the  oath  by  which  the  confederates  had  bound  them- 

*  The  following  are  the  articles  of  InchiquJn's  treaty:— 
"  It  is  agi-eed  and  resolved,  that  none  professing  the  Catholic  reli- 
gion, cleric  or  laic,  suffer  any  molestation  or  detriment  ft'om  *.he  Lord 
Inchiquin,  or  any  of  his  adherents,  on  account  of  the  free  exercise  of 
religion,  and  the  perfomiance  of  its  functions,  during  the  continuance 
of  this  truce,  always  excepting  that  it  he  not  practised  or  exercised  in 
the  garrisons  or  quarters  of  the  said  Lord  Inchiquin. 

"  2ndly.  It  is  agreed  and  resolved,  that  the  property  pertaining  to 
laics  and  clerics,  now  in  their  possession,  he  secured  to  them  respec- 
tively, and  continue  to  them,  without  any  detriment,  from  the  day  on 
which  'u'i  truce  commenced,  with  the  same  advantages  as  hefore,  pro- 
vided that  they  suhmit  to  this  agreement,  and  do  not  decline  to  pay 
the  taxes  and  afford  their  contrihutions  to  the  public  cause." 


?20  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

selves,  and  manfully  scorned  the  truce  on  such  disho- 
nourable proposals. 

But  the  Ormondists  in  the  council  gladly  acquiesced, 
and,  in  a  true  sense,  may  be  said  to  have  preferred  their 
monarch  and  the  possession  of  their  revenues  to  their 
God  and  religion. 

"Make  no  truce  with  this  man,"  said  the  nuncio, 
"  he  has  three  times  changed  sides.  If  the  massacre  at 
Cashel  has  left  no  trace  on  your  memories,  recollect  that 
a  month  ago  he  pillaged  the  town  of  Carriek,  and  slew 
the  inhabitants,  who  Avere  Catholics,  palliating  the  atro- 
city by  asserting  he  could  not  restrain  bis  soldiers.  Re- 
member, too,  that  he  has  driven  the  Catholic  clergy  out 
of  the  cathedral  of  Callan,  and  introduced  those  who  do 
not  profess  your  religion.  Talk  not  of  your  inability  to 
carry  war  into  his  quarters.  The  army  under  Jones  has 
been  worn  out  watching  O'Neill  during  the  summer,  and 
does  not  amount  to  more  than  3,000  men.  Preston, 
with  the  troops  recently  levied  in  Leinster,  ought  to  be 
able  to  meet  him.  Inchiquin  has  not  more  than  3,0(M) 
men  in  MAinster ;  they  are  naked  and  hungry,  and  you 
fear  him  when  you  ought  to  despise  him.  In  Connaught 
and  Ulster,  the  Scotch  are  able  to  do  little  more  than 
commit  robberies  for  their  sustenance.  At  the  present 
moment  Owen  O'Neill  has  an  army  of  more  than  6,000 
men.  He  is  ready  to  act  against  Inchiquin  in  the  south, 
and  I  will  supply  monies  to  pay  his  troops,  and  thus  rid 
you  of  these  scruples  with  which  the  ravages  of  his 
soldiers  have  so  long  aflBicted  you.  I  exhort  you  to 
union  of  lieart  and  purpose ;  and  remember  that  your 
rulers  of  England  have  never  treated  you.  Catholics, 
with  respect,  except  when  you  stood  in  a  united  and  for- 
midable league."*  The  energetic  remonstrance  of  the 
nuncio  produced  an  instantaneous  effect.  John,  Arch- 
bishop of  Tuam,  whose  political  tendencies  were  on  the 
side  of  Clanricarde,  and  consequently  of  Ormondi 
seized  a  pen,  and  signed  the  condemnation  of  the  truce, 
and  the  same  course  was  immediately  adopted  by  thir, 
teen  of  the  bishops.  But  the  truce  had  been  already 
concludtd  between  the  Ormondists  and  Inchiquin  a 
iiungaivan. 

»  Rin.  pp    S12,  420 


CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY.  Tit 

It  had  scarcely  been  signed  when  the  Ormondists 
proclaimed  through  the  country  that  peace  was  restored, 
and  that  they  were  soon  to  march  on  Dublin,  and 
drive  Jones  from  the  metropohs.  Mountgarret,  a* 
the  head  of  300  horse,  entered  Kilkenny,  to  intimidate 
the  refractory  and  enforce  obedience.  But  there  was^ 
terrible  weapon  still  in  reserve.  The  sword  of  Aoah 
O'Neill  was  not  potent  to  carry  out  the  nuncio's  views, 
and  he  determined  to  have  recourse  to  another,  which, 
if  it  did  not  pierce  the  flesh,  effectually  contributed  to 
divide  the  spirit. 

Inchiquin's  designs  against  O'Neill  were  now  deve- 
loped. Preston  and  Murrogh  united  their  forces.  They 
had  pledged  themselves  to  see  the  truce  observed,  and 
to  resort  to  violence  when  it  might  be  deemed  necessary 
Heavens !  that  the  petty  feeling  of  jealousy  could  insti- 
gate the  scion  of  the  house  of  Gormanstown  to  grasp 
the  bloody  hand  of  Inchiquin,  and  pledge  himself  to  de- 
stroy the  gallant  O'Neill.  Yet  such  was  the  case.  All 
who  did  not  obey  that  fatal  truce  were  to  be  pursued  as 
rebels,  Fourteen  bishops,  the  majority  of  the  clergy, 
and  the  popular  feeling,  were  opposed  to  it.  O'Neill  was 
Btill  the  unshaken  friend  of  the  hierarchy,  and  was  in- 
volved  in  the  same  condemnation.  Far  better  for  Pres- 
ton that  he  had  nobly  fallen  under  the  walls  of  Louvain, 
■when  his  laurels  wiere  fresh,  than  live  to  conspire  against 
the  braver  and  the  nobler  soldier ;  but  he  represented  in 
his  own  person  the  deadly  hatred  of  his  class  for  the 
"old  Irish"  nobility.  Taaffe,  that  braggart  who  found 
that  the  prophecy  of  Knock-na-gaoll  was  not  to  be  rea- 
lized in  his  person,  was  also  in  arms,  hectoring  and  va- 
pouring over  the  new  alliance.  Clanricarde,  who  wor- 
shipped England  and  everything  English,  hailed  the  dark 
Btorm  which  lowered  over  the  land ;  for  it  only  con- 
cealed from  his  view  for  a  moment  the  messiah  of 
his  political  faith.  That  messiah  was  Ormond.  Clan- 
ricarde,  therefore,  abandoned  his  neutrality,  and  3,000 
men  assembled  round  him,  to  march  against  O'Neill. 
Is  it  for  this  that 

•'  Glory  guards  Clanricardes  grave''? 

Seven  days  after  the  publication  of  the  truce,  a  crowd 


222  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

was  attracted  to  St.  Canice's  cathedral  by  a  strange 
document  affixed  to  the  gate.  It  was  a  sentence  of 
comminatory  excommunication  against  all  who  would 
respect  the  truce.  On  that  same  day,  the  Dean  of 
Fermo,  by  order  of  Rinuccini,  took  down  the  com- 
minatory sentence  and  substituted  another,  latce  senten- 
tice,  against  all  abettors  of  it,  and  an  interdict  against 
all  cities,  towns,  and  villages  in  which  it  should  be 
received  or  observed. 

Oh  I  it  was  a  fearful  expedient,  and  there  is  but  one 
consideration  which  can  reconcile  a  true  Irish  heart  to 
this  hasty  proceeding — that  is,  the  preservation  of 
O'Neill — for  was  not  his  life  immeasurably  more 
valuable  than  a  host  of  such  men  as  Preston,  Clan- 
ricarde,  or  Muskerry?  Alas',  no  other  reflection 
remains  to  palliate  the  cruelty  of  such  a  measure  as 
that  of  an  interdict.  Harsh  and  heartless  we  would 
not  hesitate  to  pronounce  Rinuccini,  if  this  act  were 
not  meant  to  throw  the  segis  of  his  spiritual  authority 
round  the  man  who  fought  for  the  church  of  his 
fathers.  But,  view  it  as  we  will,  it  was  impolitic  to 
bar  the  gates  which  lead  from  earth  to  heaven,  and 
refuse  the  consolations  of  religion  to  the  afflicted  and 
sorrowing  spirit.  Was  it  for  this  that  brave  hearts 
sighed  and  toiled  ?  Or  could  the  men  who  rose  for 
their  religion  in  the  year  1641  have  anticipated  that  ere 
seven  years  a  dignitary  of  their  own  church  would 
have  quenched  the  lamp,  and  forbidden  the  celebration 
of  the  mass  on  those  very  altars  for  which  fihey  fought, 
and  bled,  and  died. 

But,  where  is  Rinuccini  ?  At  day  break  on  the 
morning  of  the  27th  he  scaled  the  garden  wall  of  his 
house,  and  accompanied  by  two  attendants,  proceeded 
through  an  unfrequented  gate  to  Maryborough,  where 
jwen  Roe  lay  encamped.  The  gallant  chief  Avas 
ignorant  of  the  doings  at  Kilkenny,  and  when  he  heard 
of  the  truce  he  began  to  think  of  his  personal  safety. 
His  army  had  not  been  collected — 700  true  hearts  were 
all  the  protection  which  now  surrounded  him,  and  when 
he  learned  that  it  was  the  nuncio's  intention  to  quit 
the  country,  tongue  cannot  tell  the  pathetic  grief  of 
the  noble  chieftain.     Messengers  were  soon  despatched 


CONFEDERATION    OF  KILKENNY. 


223 


from  Kilkenny  with  overtures  to  Rinuccini,  inviting 
him  to  return,  and  offering  to  cancel  the  truce  if  he 
would  advance  £10,000 ;  but  the  die  was  cast.  O  NeiU 
and  the  bishops  sent  back  a  draft  of  some  propositions 
to  the  supreme  council,  which,  after  a  lapse  of  twelve 
days,  were  returned  with  such  modifications  as  were 
not  acceptable.  The  delay  in  the  transmission  was  to 
give  Preston  an  opportunity  of  collecting  all  his  forces, 
and  surprising  O'Neill.  On  the  twelfth  day  after  his 
arrival  in  Maryborough,  a  messenger  rushed  breathless 
into  the  apartment  where  Owen  Roe  and  the  nuncio 
were  conversing,  stating  that  Preston  with  ten  thousand 
men  were  marching  on  Birr,  four  miles  distant  from  the 
camp.  "At  the  announcement,"  says  the  nuncio, 
"  O'Neill's  features  underwent  an  extraordinary  change : 
astonishment  was  the  first  emotion,  and  then  a  sudden 
palor  shadowed  his  visage."  But  Preston  did  not 
advance,  and  ignorance  of  O'Neill's  numerical  inferiority 
saved  him  for  the  moment. 

But  the  censures  and  the  excommunication  were 
doing  well.  Preston's  troops  began  to  mutiny.  Unlike 
their  chief  they  were  not  all  "excommunication proot,  ' 
and  2,000  of  them  deserted  to  O'Neill— happily  for  the 
latter ;  for  when  the  nuncio  sent  his  confessor  to  Preston, 
in  the  vain  hope  of  winning  him  over,  he  declared  that 
either  he  or  Owen  Roe  should  speedily  perish,  and  that 
the  opinion  of  eight  bishops  was  against  the  validity  of 
the  censures. 

O'Neill  and  the  nuncio  bade  an  eternal  adieu  to  each 
other.  The  former  broke  up  his  camp ;  and  now  that 
the  supreme  council  had  dared  to  brand  him  as  a  rebel, 
he  hastened  to  collect  his  troops.  Ten  thousand  foot, 
and  fifteen  hundred  horse  soon  rallied  round  the  standard 
of  the  "  red  hand."  But  let  it  be  the  work  of  him  who 
has  written  the  Life  of  Aodh  O'Neill  to  tell  how  his  gal- 
lant  descendant  vindicated  the  honour  of  his  name  ;  how 
he  scared  Preston  on  the  broad  plains  of  Leinster,  and 
baffled  five  generals  at  the  pass  of  Ballaghraore.  The 
nuncio  retired  to  Galway,  and  the  din  of  arms  gave 
place  for  a  while  to  theological  controversy. 

Walsh  was  the  corriphaeus  of  those  who  impugned  the 


22-i  CONFEDERATION   OF    KILKj^NNY  . 

validity  of  the  censures.*  Four  bishops  who  had  sanc- 
tioned the  condemnation  of  the  truce,  now  declared 
themselves  satisfied  with  some  modifications  which  had 
been  introduced,  and  protested  against  the  nuncio.  The 
supreme  council  issued  a  circular  cautioning  all  ecclesi- 
astical authorities  against  interfering  with  their  subjects 
on  account  of  the  censures  or  interdict. 

Scandal  juid  division  were  the  natural  results,  and  a 
deputation  proceeded  to  Galway,  warning  Rinuccini 
that  an  nppeal  had  been  made  to  Rome  against  his  "  un- 
canonioal  proceedings."  A  scene  ensued  which  it  would 
be  needless  to  record.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  priest  was 
armed  against  priest;  secular  and  regular  were  alternately 
engaged  in  the  most  acrimonious  conflict  of  controversy ; 
nor  did  greater  excitement  prevail  in  the  days  of  Savo- 
narola. 

In  vain  did  the  nuncio  endeavour  to  convoke  a  national 
synod.  He  issued  a  summons  to  the  bishops  on  the  13th 
of  July,  to  meet  him  on  the  15th.  Clanricarde's  troops 
blocked  up  every  pass.  O'Neill,  who  was  now  on  the 
borders  of  Leitrim,  sent  two  regiments  to  facilitate  the 
approach  of  the  bishops  who  yet  remained  on  his  side, 
and  Colonel  Maguire  lost  his  life  in  storming  the  Castle 
of  Drumruisk. 

But  all  too  late.  The  synod  never  met,  and  Rinuccini 
hastened  to  retire  from  that  fated  land,  where,  to  use  his 
own  sentiment,  *'he  had  never  seen  the  sun."  The 
schemes  and  the  hopes  of  his  enemies  were  fully  realized. 
Ormond  landed  at  Cork  on  the  29th  of  September,  1648. 
He  then  proceeded  to  Carrick-on-Suir,  where  he  was  met 
by  the  bishops  and  members  of  the  supreme  council,  and 
thence  marched  to  Kilkenny.  The  life  of  Charles  I.  ter- 
minated almost  simultaneously  with  the  existence  of  the 
confederation,  and  a  new  era  began  to  dawn  on  Ireland, 
remarkable  for  its  fidelity  to  that  house  of  Stuart,  which, 
alas  !  but  ill  requited  her  unhappy  and  misgoverned 
children. 

In  the  month  of  February,  Rinuccini  sailed  frmn  Gal- 
way and  proceeded  to   Rome.   -The  state  of  his  own 

•  The  gross  aspersions  cast  upon  the  Jesuits,  the  chaiapions  of  the 
cross  and  literature,  by  this  disobedient  friar,  are  as  foul  as  any  tha 
their  m  odem  maligners  have  penned. 


CONFEDERATIOK    OF   KILKENNY.  226 

principality  demanded  his  immediate  attention,  but  it 
was  necessary  that  he  should  give  Innocent  X.  an  ac- 
count of  his  luckless  nunciature.  Some  fatality  seems  to 
have  been  attached  to  that  office.  Nicholas  Sanders,  an 
Englishman,  sent  by  Gregory  XIII.,  died  of  starvation 
under  a  tree  in  the  mountains  of  Kerry.  Owen  O'Hagan, 
Bishop  of  Ross,  who  had  been  appointed  by  Clement 
VIII.,  perislied  in  the  wars  of  Tirowen  with  a  sword  in 
one  hand  and  a  rosary  in  the  other.*  Could  his  prede- 
oessors  have  been  called  from  their  graves  to  meet  Rin- 
uccini  on  his  return,  what  a  similarity  of  incident  must 
they  not  have  narrated  ? 

Yet,  let  us  do  justice  to  the  memory  of  the  man.  It 
has  been  asserted,  on  the  authority  of  Walsh  and 
the  disappointed  Callaghan,f  that  he  was  met  Avith  re- 
buke on  his  return  to  Rome.  "  Temerarie  te  gessisti^ 
are  the  words  which  Innocent  X.  is  said  to  have  applied 
to  him.  But  any  charge  from  such  men  as  Walsh  or 
Callaghan  should  be  cautiously  received.  The  former 
stands  convicted  of  malignmg  many  an  illustrious  name, 
and  echoed  the  cry  of  Ormond's  pack,  who  denounced 
the  men  of  1641  as  "bloody  rebels."  The  sycophant  of 
Ormond  could  entertain  no  kindly  feeling  for  Rinuccini, 
who  laboured  to  reconcile  him  to  the  observance  of  the 
monastic  rules,  which  he  boldly  disregarded.  Aiazzi, 
Rinuccini's  biographer,  informs  us  that  he  was  offered  a 
high  place  of  dignity  in  the  pontifical  court,  which  he 
modestly  declined,  preferring  his  pastoral  charge  at 
Fermo. 

Nor  let  it  be  said  that  he  was  a  bigot ;  whoever  would 
make  the  charge  ought  to  reflect  under  what  circum- 
stances Rinuccini  had  to  act.  Had  he  not  to  contend 
with  men  who  were  the  avowed  and  unrelenting  enemies 
of  the  Irish  Catholics  ;  and  would  he  not  have  deserved 
to  be  branded  as  untrue  to  his  charge,  if  he  did  not  urge 
them  on  to  win  their  own  again  ?    Did  he  do  aught  tiiat 


•  AValsh's  Hist,  of  the  Rem.  p.  34. 

+  The  author  of  the  Vindicise  Hib.  thought  to  become  Bishop  of 
•rork,  but  was  disappointed  by.  the  Nuncio's  veto.  He  subsequently 
t>rodnccd  his  scurrilous  work  in  reply  to  a  book  fi-om  the  pen  of  the 
kev.  Paul  King,  a  pious  and  patriotic  Franciscan  friar.  V.  Bishop 
Talbot's  "  Friar  Disciplined." 


220  CONFEDERATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

■was  irreconcilable  with  enlightened  policy,  in  insisting 
on  freedom  of  conscience  and  the  untrammelled  exercise 
of  that  religion  of  which  he  was  a  minister  ? 

Will  any  one  blame  him  for  so  far  interfering  in  tem- 
poral concerns,  as  to  aid  the  plundered  Catholics  of 
Ulster  in  wresting  their  property  from  the  robber  gripe 
of  the  undertakers  ?  Yes  :  he  had  an  incontrovertible 
right  to  enforce  these  just  demands ;  and,  when  argu- 
ment failed,  he  was  justified  in  resorting  to  the  sword. 
Scotland  had  won  religious  independence  by  this  wea- 
pon, and  why  should  not  Ireland  have  tried  it  ?  Let  those 
wlio  would  condemn  him  on  the  score  of  bigotry,  reflect 
that  he  was  acting  against  men  who  had  sworn  tlie  ex- 
tirpation of  the  "  idolatrous  papists, "  and  then  asktliem- 
selves  how  can  they  justify  their  assertion  ?  His  notions, 
it  is  true,  were  purely  Italian :  he  did  not  think  Catho- 
licity could  flourish  where  it  was  unaccompanied  by  all 
the  pomp  and  splendour  which  he  was  accustomed  to  in 
his  own  sunny  clime.  Catholicity  in  Ireland  appeared 
to  him  like  a  leafless  branch  of  the  miglity  tree,  and  he 
fain  would  see  it  in  full  flower.  Perhaps,  in  this  parti- 
cular, he  erred  ;  but,  according  to  the  rigid  laws  of 
justice,  he  had  a  right  to  insist  on  the  restoration  of  the 
cathedrals  and  the  ecclesiastical  revenues  to  the  Ca- 
tholic clergy;  and  who  will  blame  him  if  he  sighed  for 
the  day  when  he  might  hear  Catholic  psalmody  pealing 
in  all  the  temples  of  the  land  ?  No,  he  deserves  not  the 
name  of  bigot;  nor  can  the  charge  be  sustained. 

But  a  graver  accusation  is  brought  against  him, — he 
is  charged  with  having  divided  the  confederates.  This 
is  an  assumption :  it  supposes  that  they  were  united 
before  his  advent.  But  it  is  false.  Failure  was  the 
result  of  their  divisions,  and  he  vainly  sought  to  con- 
vince them  that  they  had  within  themselves  all  the  ele- 
ments of  strength  and  power  if  they  combined.  Under 
the  walls  of  Dublin,  was  it  his  fault  if  O'Neill  and 
Preston  fell  on  each  other,  and  gave  Ormond  the  satis- 
faction of  witnessing  the  two  armies  in  deadly  strife  ? 
Were  not  Muskerry  and  Preston,  and  Belling  and  Clan- 
ricarde,  the  sworn  friends  of  Ormond,  and  the  avowed 
enemies  of  thci  Ulster  Irish  and  their  glorious  chief? 
But  enough :  the  censures  were  inexpedient,  but  in  one 


CONFEDERi^TION    OF    KILKENNY.  22? 

eetise  they  were  useful.  The  man  who  stood  by  his 
creed  had  a  right  to  be  protected  by  it.  He  loved  Ire- 
land, and  would  have  died  for  lier  independence  ;  but  he 
lived  to  learn  that  Cromwell  triumphed,  and  shed  the 
blood  of  her  noblest  sons.  Amongst  those,  many  werv» 
of  that  party  which  clung  to  Rinuccini.  They  we.-e 
faithful  to  the  last,  and  lion-hearted  when  others  shud 
dered  at  their  doom.  General  Purcell  fainted  when 
Ireton  pronounced  his  death  sentence  :*  and  Terence 
Albert  O'Brien,  the  bishop  of  Emly,  scorned  Ireton  to 
his  teeth,  and  foretold  that  he  should  soon  meet  him  at 
the  tribunal  of  God ; — and  this  was  the  case ;  for  the 
blood  of  the  bishop  was  not  congealed  on  the  block  before 
Ireton  died  of  the  nlague. 

Heber  Mac  Mahon,  bishop  of  Clogher,  died  nobly  for 
fatherland ;  but  in  another  place  will  the  record  be  longer 
and  more  minute.  On  the  list  of  martyrs  to  religion  and 
country,  you  will  nowhere  find  more  illustrious  names 
than  those,  and  they  were  all  of  Kinuccini's  party  and 
sentiments.  I  dare  not  contrast  Avith  them  the  Ormond- 
ists  who  survived  these  virtuous  and  patriotic  men. 
The  storm  swept  harmlessly  over  their  heads.  Ormoud 
got  more  by  the  revolution  than  his  Norman  ancestors 
won  bv  the  sword :  his  fortunes,  and  those  of  his  ad- 
herents, Avere  created  out  of  the  ruin  of  the  Catholics ; 
for  tliey  Avere  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven. 

But  It  is  time  to  record  one  proof  of  Kinuccini's  love 
of  Ireland.  On  his  return  he  caused  frescoes  to  be 
painted  in  the  archiepiscopal  palace  at  Fermo,  of  the 
actions  Avhich  had  been  fought  during  his  nunciature  ; 
the  bad  taste  of  one  of  his  successors  caused  them  to  be 
destroyed.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  for  they  Avould  have 
throAvn  a  light  on  this  period  of  our  history.  How 
gladly  would  the  pilgrim  turn  from  the  tomb  of  Hugh 
I  O'Neill  to  the  pictures  of  Bunratty,  Beinburb,  and  BaU 

^    '  laghjuore  !     But  all  that  now  remains,  in  that  old  city, 

to°recaU  tnc  memory  of  the  man,  is  the  monumental 
inscription. 

The  summaiY  of  an  eventful  life  maybe  collected  from 


a  single  line  engraved  upon  it : — 

"  Ad  foBderatos  Catholicos  .Hibemiaa  pontiflcia  legatione  functo.' 


I  I  » I5ib.  Dom. 

il 

i , ~ ■ — ==»—-... 


^28  CONFEDI;RATION    OF    KILKENNY. 

Above  that  tomb  many  of  our  exiled  chieftains  liave 
trod  and  wept.  Many  a  prayer,  too,  has  been  offered 
within  the  cathedral  of  Fermo  for  "  the  dear  old  land  1" 
Oh !  may  she  soon  arise  from  thraldom  and  provinciaiisiiif 
to  take  her  place  amid  the  nations  1 


1 

APPENDIX. 

TABLX    OP    THE    LEVIES    ORDERED   BY   THE 
COUNCIL    IN    THE     YEAR     1642. 
Referred  to  at  page  52. 
Counties.                                       Infantry. 

Westmeath    3000     

Meath    3000 

SUPRBMB 

Cavalry. 

50 

50 

50 

50 

50 

40 

Kildare 3000 

Wexford    3000     

King's  County 2800     

Queen's  County   2400     

Wicklow   2400     

Dublin  2000     

40 

50 

Kilkenny  City  and  County       3000     

Louth 1700     

Longford   3000     

50 

20 

50 

Carlow  2400     

50 

550 

Total 31  700 

owing  let 
yarded  hy 
organ  and 

i-MORGAN) 

any  newes 
ent  to  the 
as  cheere- 

4 

I  HAVE  thought  >t  advisable  to  insert  the  foil 
ter,  referred  to  at  page  120.     It  has  been  re 
some  as  evidence  of  a  collusion  between  Glare 
Lord  Ormond : — 

•'LORD  HERBERT (pretended  EARLE  OF  GLi 
HIS  LETTER  TO  HIS  LADY. 

*'  My  dearest  heart,  I  hope  these  will  prevent 
shal  come  unto  you  of  me,  since  my  comittm 
Castle  of  Dublin.  To  which  I  assure  thee  I  went 

230  APPENDIX. 

fully  and  as  willingly  as  they  could  wish,  whosoever  thej 
were  by  whose  meanes  it  was  procured,  and  should  as 
unwillingly  goe  foorth,  were  the  gates  both  of  the  Castle 
and  Town  open  unto  me,  until  I  were  cleered,  as  they 
are  willing  to  make  me  unserviceable  to  the  King,  and 
lay  me  aside,  who  have  procured  for  me  this  restraint ; 
When  I  consider  thee  a  Woman,  as  I  thinke,  I  know  you 
are,  I  feare  least  you  should  be  apprehensive :  but  when 
I  reflect  that  you  are  of  the  House  of  Thomond,  and  that 
you  were  once  pleased  to  say  these  words  unto  me.  That 
I  should  never,  in  tendernesse  of  you,  desist  from  doing, 
what  in  honour  I  was  obliged  to  doe,  I  grow  confident, 
that  in  this  you  w^ill  now  shew  your  magnanimity,  and 
by  it  the  greatest  testimony  of  affection,  that  you  can 
possibly  afford  me ;  and  am  also  confident,  that  you 
know  me  so  well,  that  I  need  not  tell  you  how  cleare  I 
am,  and  void  of  feare,  the  only  effect  of  a  good  con-- 
science,  and  that  I  am  guilty  of  nothing,  that  may  tes- 
tifie  one  thought  of  disloyalty  to  his  Majestie,  or  of  what 
may  staine  the  honour  of  the  family  I  come  of,  or  set  a 
Brand  upon  my  future  posteritie.  Courage  (my  heart) 
were  I  amongst  the  King's  Enemies  you  might  feare  ; 
but  being  only  a  prisoner  amongst  his  Friends  and  faith- 
ful Subjects,  you  need  doubt  nothing,  but  that  this  cloud 
will  be  soone  dissipated,  by  the  Sunne-shine  of  the  King 
my  Master,  and  did  you  but  know  how  well  and  merry 
I  am,  you  would  bee  as  little  troubled  as  my  selfe,  who 
have  nothing  that  can  afflict  me,  but  lest  your  apprehen- 
sion might  hurt  you,  especially  since  all  the  while  I 
could  get  no  opportunity  of  sending,  nor  yet  by  any 
certaine  probable  meanes,  but  by  my  Cousin  Bruertons, 
Master  Mannerings,  our  Cousin  Constable  of  the  Castle, 
and  my  Lord  Lieutenant's  leave :  and  I  hope  you  and  I 
shall  live  to  acknowledge  our  obligation  to  them,  there 
being  nothing  in  this  world  that  I  desire  more,  then  you 
should  at  least  heare  from  me ;  And  believe  it  (sweet 
heart)  were  I  before  the  Parliament  in  London,  I  could 
justify,  both  the  King  and  my  selfe  in  what  I  have  done, 
And  so  I  pray  acquaint  my  Father,  who  I  know  so  cau- 
tious, that  he  would  hardly  accept  a  Lettor  from  me, 
j  but  yet  I  presume  most  humbly  to  ask  his  blessing,  and 

i  as  heartily  as  I  send  mine  to  pretty  Mall,  and  I  hope 

this  day  or  to  morrow  will  set  a  period  to  my  businesse. 


-J! 


APPENDIX. 


231 


to  the  shame  of  those  who  liave  been  occasioners  of 
it:  but  I  must  needs  say  from  my  Lord  Lieutenant,  and 
the  Privie  Councell  here,  I  have  received  as  much  jus- 
tice, nobleness  and  favour,  as  I  could  possibly  expect : 
the  Circumstances  of  these  proceedings  are  too  long  to 
write  unto  you,  but  I  am  confident  all  will  prove  to  my 
greater  honour;  And  my  Right  Honourable  accuser, 
my  Lord  George  Digby,  will  be  at  last  rectified  and  con- 
firmed in  the  good  which  he  is  pleased  to  say  lie  ever 
had  of  me  hitherto,  as  the  greatest  afiliction  that  he 
ever  had,  did  doe  what  his  conscience  enforced  hira 
unto,  and  indeed  did  wrap  up  the  bitter  pill  of  the  Im- 
peachment of  suspition  of  high  Treason  in  so  good 
words,  as  that  I  swallowed  it,  with  the  greatest  ease  in 
the  world,  and  it  hath  hither  had  no  other  operation, 
then  that  it  hath  purged  Melancholy :  for  as  1  was  not 
at  the  present  not  any  way  dismayed,  so  have  I  not 
since  been  any  way  at  all  disheartened.  So  I  pray  let 
not  any  of  my  friends  that's  there,  believe  any  thing, 
nntill  ye  have  the  perfect  relation  of  it  from  my  sclfe. 
And  this  request  I  chiefly  make  unto  you,  to  whom  I 
remaine  a  most  faithfull,  and  most  passionately  devoted 
Husband  and  servant,  "  Glamorgan. 

"  Remember  my  service  to  my  Brother,   my  cosin 
Browne,  and  the  rest  of  my  good  friends." 

**  London :  Printed  for  Edward  Husband,  Printer  to  the 
Honorable  House  of  Commons.     March  17,  1645." 


This  document,  preserved  in  the  original  at  Rome,  has 
6een  translated  in  that  great  organ  of  Catholicity,  the 
Dublin  Review :  .March  !*il/>.  It  maybe  regarded  as 
a  perfect  picture  of  that  portion  of  Ireland  which  came 
immediately  under  the  notice  of  the  Italian  writer,  who 
is  thought  to  have  been  Father  Arr.amoni,  the  nuncio's 
confessor.  This  letter  must  have  been  written  imme- 
diately after  the  arrival  of  the  nuncio 

' '  The  courtesy  of  the  poor  people  among  whom  my 
lord  the  nuncio  took  up  his  quarters,  was  unexampled. 


APPENDIX 


A  fat  bullock,  two  sheep,  and  a  porker,  were  instantlj' 
slaughtered,  and  an  immense  supply  of  beer,  butter, 
and  milk,  was  brought  to  him  •,  and  even  we,  who  were 
still  on  board,  experienced  the  kindness  of  the  poor 
fishermen,  who  sent  us  presents  of  excellent  fish  and 
oysters  of  most  prodigious  size  in  the  utmost  abundance. 
While  we  were  creeping  along  in  the  frigate,  in  the 
track  of  the  nuncio,  I  observed  a  harbour  about  half-a- 
mile  in  length,  and  a  pistol-shot  in  breadth,  so  very 
beautiful,  that  curiosity  led  me  to  take  the  boat  and  go 
on  shore,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  wonders  of 
the  place.  In  a  short  time  I  was  surrounded  by  an 
immense  multitude  of  men,  women,  and  boys,  who  had 
come  running  down  from  different  places  in  the  mountains 
to  see  me  ;  and  some  of  them  happening  to  observe  the 
crucifix  which  I  wore  on  my  breast,  they  all  made  a 
circle  round  me,  and  kissed  it  one  after  another.  After 
this,  they  ma,de  signs  of  the  greatest  afiection  and 
friendship  to  me,  and  conducted  me,  almost  perforce,  to 
one  of  the  nearest  huts,  where  I  was  seated  on  a  cushion 
stuffed  with  feathers ;  and  the  mistress  of  the  house,  a 
venerable  old  dame,  sat  down  beside  me  along  with  her 
daughters,  and  offered  to  kiss  me,  according  to  the 
usage  of  the  country;  and  had  I  not  explained  by 
signs,  that  this  would  not  be  becoming  in  one  who  bore 
Christ  crucified  on  his  breast,  and  who  accompanied  the 
nuncio  as  priest,  I  think  they  would  have  been  offended. 
The  old  dame  then  brought  me  in  a  wooden  vessel,  a 
great  draught  of  most  delicious  milk,  expressing  the 
utmost  anxiety  that  I  should  drink  it.  As  it  was  of  a  most 
excellent  flavour  I  drank  copiously  of  it,  and  was  quite 
revived  by  the  draught.  They  all  endeavoured  to  stand 
as  close  to  me  as  possible,  and  those  who  were  able  to 
touch  me,  considered  themselves  happy  ;  so  that  it  was 
with  difficulty  I  could  disengage  myself  from  them,  in 
order  to  return  to  the  frigate :  on  the  contrary,  they 
wished  to  escort  me  to  the  very  water  edge,  and  some 
of  the  young  men  wished  to  accompany  me  altogether. 
What  is  most  remarkable,  is,  that  in  these  wild  and 
mountainous  places,  and  among  a  poor  people  who  are 
reduced  to  absolute  misery,  by  the  devastations  of  the 
heretic  enemy,  I  found,  notwithstanding,  the  noble 
influence  of  our  holy  Catholic  faith,  for  there  was  not 


APPENDIX. 


2.33 


one,  man,  woman,  or  child,  however  small,  AVho  could 
not  repeat,  the  Our  Father,  the  Hail  Mary,  the  Creed, 
and  the  commandments  of  the  Holy  Church. 

"  The  country  through  which  we  have  passed,  though 
mountainous,  is  agreeable  ;  and,  being  entirely  pasture- 
land,  is  most  abundantly  stocked  with  cattle  of  every 
kind.  Occasionally  one  meets  a  long  tract  of  valley, 
interspersed  with  woods  and  groves  ;  vhich,  as  they  are 
neither  high  nor  densely  planted,  partake  more  of  the 
agreeable  than  of  the  gloomy.  For  seventy  miles  the 
country  which  we  met  was  almost  all  of  this  character  ; 
but  having  once  crossed  the  mountains,  we  entered 
upon  an  immense  plain,  occasionally  diversified  with 
hills  and  valleys,  highly  cultivated,  and  enriched  witu 
an  infinite  nural)er  of  cattle,  especially  oxen  and  sheep ; 
from  the  latter  of  which  is  obtained  the  very  finest  of 
what  is  called  English  wool. 

**  The  men  are  fine-looking  and  of  incredible  strength ; 
they  are  stout  runners,  and  bear  every  sort  of  hard- 
ship with  indescribable  cheerfulness.  They  are  all 
devoted  to  arms,  and  especially  now  that  they  are  at 
war.  Those  who  apply  themselves  to  the  study  of  lite- 
rature are  most  learned ;  and  you  meet  persons  of  every 
profession  and  science  among  them. 

"The  women  are  remarkably  tall  and  beautiful,  and 
display  a  charming  union  of  gracefulness  with  modesty 
and  devotion.  Their  manners  are  marked  by  extreme 
simplicity ;  and  they  freely  mix  in  conversation  every- 
where, without  suspicion  or  jealousy.  Their  costume 
is  different  from  ours,  and  somewhat  resembles  the 
French  ;  except  that  they  wear,  besides,  a  long  cloak 
and  profuse  locks  of  hair,  and  go  without  any  head- 
dress, contenting  themselves  with  a  kind  of  handker- 
chief, almost  after  the  Greek  fashion,  which  displays 
their  natural  beauty  to  great  advantage.  They  are  ex- 
tremely prolific,  and  almost  all  the  women  who  marry 
have  large  families.  There  are  some  who  have  as  many 
as  thirty  children  alive ;  and  the  number  of  those  who 
have  from  fifteen  to  twenty  is  immense ;  and  they  all 
are  handsome,  tall,  and  robust,  the  majority  being  light- 
haired,  and  of  a  clear  white  and  red  complexion. 

'*  They  give  most  superb  entertainments  both  of  licsh 
and  fish,  for  they  have  both  in  the  greatest  abimdaact 


234  APPENDIX. 

They  are  perpetually  pledging  healths,  the  usual  drinic 
being  Spanish  wines,  French  claret,  most  delicious 
beer,  and  most  excellent  milk.  Butter  is  used  on  all 
occasions,  and  there  is  no  species  of  provisions  which 
is  not  found  in  the  greatest  abundance.  As  yet  we 
have  all  accommodated  ourselves  to  the  usages  of  tlie 
country.  [A  line  is  here  effaced.]  They  also  eat  fruit, 
as  apples,  pears,  plums,  artichokes  ;  and  all  eatables  are 
cheap.  A  fat  ox  costs  a  pistole,  a  sheep  thirty  bajoechi, 
a  pair  of  capons  or  fowls,  apaul,  eggs  a  farthing  a-piece, 
and  so  on  for  the  rest  in  proportion.  You  can  have  a 
farge  fish  for  a  soldo.  But  game  is  so  abundant  that 
they  make  no  account  of  it  at  all.  Birds  jiay  almost 
be  killed  with  sticks,  and  especially  thrushes,  blackbirds, 
and  chaffinches.  Both  the  salt  and  fresh  water  fish  are 
most  exquisite,  and  so  abundant,  that  for  three  pauls 
we  bought  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  excellent 
fish ;  as  pike,  salmon,  herring,  trout,  &c.,  and  all  of 
excellent  quality.  We  got  a  thousand  pilchards  and 
oysters  for  tM'enty-five  bajoechi. 

* '  Tlie  horses  are  very  plenty,  stout,  handsome, 
swift,  and  cheap;  so  that  for  twenty  crowns  you 
might  buy  a  nag,  which  in  Italj  would  be  worth  a 
hundred  gold  pieces.** 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

This  book  ^■'=!  -'^^"^  '         n+"'^  bplr-  .  or  '  "^  *-^ 


